Kim Kardashian says dress caught fire; Pharrell rescued her

Also, Mariah Carey launches song on Match.com; Satyajit Ray’s widow dead at 98; Shonda Rhimes to write book on her year of yeses; Hudson miracle pilot is topic of Clint Eastwood film; Rapper Iggy Azalea, NBA player Nick Young are engaged; Telugu actress rescued from Goa prostitution racket; and filmmaker drawing attention to 2011 Cosby rape comments.

Kim Kardashian. AFP

It’s an eventful time for Kim Kardashian: a new baby coming, a huge transition for her stepfather and a fire emergency, with none other than Pharrell and his wife coming to the rescue. Kardashian reported on social media on Tuesday that her dress caught fire after the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards on Monday night in New York. “Shout out to Pharrell & Helen who saved my life last night!” she wrote on Instagram, repeating the message on Twitter and Facebook. “LOL After the awards at dinner the feathers of my dress caught on fire from a candle & they jumped on me to get it out!” Kardashian and her husband, Kanye West, were presenters at the ceremony. Kardashian did not specify if the fire incident happened there or elsewhere. – AP

Mariah Carey launches song on Match.com

Mariah Carey has joined Match.com – not just for love, but to promote her latest single. The pop diva joined the dating website early on Tuesday, when she launched the music video for Infinity, which debuted on Match and VEVO. Carey's profile says she's divorced and has two children. She posted four photos, including one of her singing and another of her taking a selfie. The 45-year-old said in a statement: "I hope every woman who is single and listens to this song goes out and finds her infinity, whether on Match or the traditional way." In her new music video, Carey considers three potential Match suitors. Other musicians have used dating sites to launch music, including DJ-producer Zedd, who used Tinder last month to help promote his album, True Colors. – AP

Satyajit Ray’s widow dead at 98

Bijoya Ray, the widow of the late Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray's wife, died from pneumonia at a private nursing home in Kolkata, West Bengal, on Tuesday. Bijoya, 98, left behind her filmmaker son Sandip, daughter-in-law Lalita and grandson Souradeep. A gifted Rabindra Sangeet singer, Bijoya married her cousin Satyajit in 1949 after years of courtship. Until his death on April 23, 1992, Bijoya was a big influence on his work, and even pawned all her jewellery when they ran out of money during the shooting of Pather Panchali, a landmark film that broke Indian stereotypes and placed the country on the global cinema map. Bijoya also acted in a few films, including Sesh Raksha (1944). – IANS

Shonda Rhimes to write book on her year of yeses

Shonda Rhimes's first book will have a positive message. The award-winning showrunner and creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal has an agreement with Simon & Schuster for Year of Yes, the publisher announced on Tuesday. Rhimes was inspired to write the book, which is due out in November, after she was dared in December 2013 to say yes to unexpected invitations for a whole year. In a statement issued through Simon & Schuster, Rhimes said she had not planned to go public about her year of challenges. But, in the spirit taking chances, she couldn't turn down Simon & Schuster's suggestion to write a book. "I had no choice – what else could I say but yes?" she said. – AP

Hudson miracle pilot is topic of Eastwood film

Clint Eastwood is to direct a film about captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot hailed as a hero for ditching his plane on the Hudson in 2009, the studio behind the project said on Tuesday. The veteran actor and filmmaker will direct and produce the as-yet-untitled film for Warner Bros Pictures. "I am very glad my story is in the hands of gifted storyteller and filmmaker Clint Eastwood, and veteran producers Allyn Stewart and Frank Marshall," said Sullenberger. The US Airways pilot shot to fame on January 15, 2009, when his Airbus A320 flew into a flock of geese, instantly knocking out power in both engines. Sullenberger managed to steer to the Hudson River, off Manhattan, and made a smooth landing that was quickly dubbed the "Miracle on the Hudson". All 155 passengers and crew survived. Eastwood will direct the movie from a screenplay by Todd Komarnicki, based on the book Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters, by Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow. – AFP

Rapper Iggy Azalea, NBA player Nick Young are engaged

Iggy Azalea recently cancelled her autumn tour, so she has time to plan for a big moment in her life: her wedding. Nick Young of the Los Angeles Lakers proposed to the rapper as they celebrated Young’s 30th birthday. A short video of Azalea saying yes, as Young proposed on bended knee, was posted on the blog site Karen Civil. The site confirmed its authenticity via email. Azalea posted a photo on Instagram, of her hand laced with a diamond ring. Young wrote: “She said yes. It’s over man. I’m getting married!”, when he posted a photo of the couple kissing. A representative for Azalea didn’t respond to an email seeking comment. Azalea will be 25 on Sunday, June 6. She announced last week that she was cancelling her US tour for a second time. – AP

Telugu actress rescued from Goa prostitution racket

A Telugu film actress was rescued from a prostitution racket in a raid on a five-star hotel in the western Indian state of Goa. Police told reporters that the raid was conducted late on Tuesday, after police sent a decoy customer to the hotel. The actress was forced into prostitution in hotel resorts in the state, police said. – IANS

Filmmaker drawing attention to 2011 Cosby rape comments

Bill Cosby's comments calling rape a form of bullying and "annoying" have been released by a filmmaker who interviewed the comedian in 2011. Documentary filmmaker Cassidy McMillan said Cosby made unsolicited comments about rape during the interview, which was to discuss a project she was working on about bullying and violence faced by some young girls. "This rape thing is annoying, it is sickening," Cosby is heard on three minutes of audio posted on the website RadarOnline, which is owned by The National Enquirer. The magazine ran a story last week with a headline on its cover: Cosby Confesses. The comments were made during part of a broader discussion about the bullying and McMillan's work chronicling the story of a 12-year-old Canadian girl who killed herself after being bullied, according to a partial transcript of the conversation posted on the website www.ourweekly.com. The partial transcript was posted by a freelance journalist who was on the phone when McMillan and Cosby spoke. The comedian also discussed how his own daughter had been bullied and how he and his wife handled it. Cosby has been accused by more than two dozen women of sexual misconduct, including allegations by many that he drugged and raped them in incidents dating back more than four decades. Cosby, 77, has never been criminally charged and most of the accusations are barred by statutes of limitations. The comedian also said at the time that the only recourse for rape victims is through the court system. "Rape, there is no freedom unless in a courtroom," Cosby is heard saying in audio posted by RadarOnline. – AP