Holly to Bolly: Field of Dreams party; Jazzman Jimmy Scott dies and more

Plus: 'I don't want to harm anyone, I just want to protect myself', says Preity Zinta; Actress Telangana Shakuntala dies

The Bold and the Beautiful filming in Paris. Thibault Camus / AP Photo

It's a soap opera about fashion, glamour, romance and heartbreak so, rather fittingly, The Bold and the Beautiful has gone to Paris.

The show, which filmed scenes in Dubai and Abu Dhabi earlier this year, is shooting several episodes in front of the Eiffel Tower this week to celebrate 25 years of being broadcast in France.

The series – which claims the title of world’s highest-rated daily soap opera, with an estimated 26.2 million viewers – owes its longevity to its international allure. It is especially popular in Italy and France. Scott Clifton, who plays Liam, one of the series’ main stars, says: “It’s about beautiful people designing beautiful clothes, beautiful jewellery and accessories. I think Paris and France really value [that].” The episodes will be broadcast in the United States in August. – AP

‘I don’t intend to harm anyone, only protect myself’, says Preity Zinta

The Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, who has accused her ex-boyfriend and industrialist Ness Wadia of molesting her, on Saturday said the intention behind the complaint is to “protect myself”.

"This is a very difficult time for me and I would like to request the media to please respect my privacy regarding this matter. My intention is not to harm anyone but only to protect myself," Zinta said in a statement. The Kal Ho Naa Ho actress lodged a written complaint against Wadia with the Marine Drive police station in Mumbai on Thursday night.

Wadia, who is Zinta’s former beau and co-owns the IPL team Kings XI Punjab with the actress, has denied the allegations, terming them “totally false and baseless”.

According to sources, Zinta has accused Wadia of grabbing her hand and abusing her during a cricket match in Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 30. – IANS

Field of Dreams party

In Iowa for a Field of Dreams 25th anniversary celebration, the actor Kevin Costner did the obvious. He played a little baseball on Friday, this time with his two young sons. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that hundreds of onlookers watched as Costner played catch with his boys Cayden, 7, and Hayes, 5. Movie fans clapped when the boys made a play, prompting Costner to note: "We don't usually have this many people when we do this." Costner and other actors travelled to the field near Dyersville in north-east Iowa to celebrate the 1989 movie about an Iowa farmer who carved a baseball field out of his corn crop. About 11,000 people were expected to join in the events at the site on Friday and Saturday. – AP

Actress Telangana Shakuntala dies

Telangana Shakuntala, one of Telugu cinema’s popular character artists, died on Saturday after a cardiac arrest, a hospital source said. She was 63.

Shakuntala, who made her cinematic debut in the 1981 Telugu film Maa Bhoomi, went on to act in 74 films. The Telugu comedy Pandavulu Pandavulu Tummeda, released earlier this year, was her last film.

Known for popularising the Telangana accent in her comic and villain roles, Shakuntala was a Maharashtrian by birth.

Some of her best films include Aha Naa Pellanta, Gulabi, Bhadrachalam, Nuvvu Nenu and Bendu Apparao RMP. She also worked in Tamil films such as Dhool and Machak Kaalaia. – IANS

Jazzman Jimmy Scott dies at age 88

Jimmy Scott, a jazzman with an ethereal man-child voice who found success late in life with the Grammy-nominated album All the Way, has died. He was 88.

His 1992 comeback album All the Way sold only 49,000 copies in the United States but earned him cult-like popularity in Europe and Asia, particularly Japan, where he often sold out performances. Eventually, he performed with the likes of Elton John, Lou Reed, Michael Stipe and Sting. He also appeared in the series finale of Twin Peaks, singing the song Sycamore Trees, co-written by the TV show's creator David Lynch. His signature high voice came from Kallmann's syndrome, which kept him from experiencing puberty and stunted his growth. He stood just under five feet and his voice did not change. Despite his youthful sound, Scott brought heavy emotion to his delivery, often dramatically drawing out lyrics and singing far behind the beat. – AP