LONDON, Oct 12, 2008 (AFP) - Which is more impressive? Turning a 500-word short story into a nearly 700-page novel short-listed for the Booker Prize, or transforming yourself from a television extra into an acclaimed author?

For Australian Steve Toltz, the transformations go hand in hand, and the two stories may well culminate together on Tuesday.

MUMBAI, Oct 11, 2008 (AFP) - Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, who turned 66 Saturday, was taken for medical treatment after complaining of abdominal cramps, a hospital spokesman said, as worried fans feared for his health.

MUMBAI, Oct 11, 2008 (AFP) - Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan is to spend two to three days in hospital, his son said Saturday, after the icon sparked widespread concern for his health when he was taken ill on his birthday.

Abhishek Bachchan told reporters camped outside the private clinic in Mumbai's northern suburbs that his 66-year-old father had suffered an intestinal blockage.

LONDON, Oct 11, 2008 (AFP) - Jamaican reggae star Alton Ellis, known as the 'Godfather of Rocksteady', died overnight of cancer in London, a hospital spokeswoman said Saturday. He was 70 years old.

Ellis passed away peacefully at Hammersmith Hospital, the spokeswoman said.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 10, 2008 (AFP) - Oscar-winner Tim Robbins became the 2,371st celebrity to be immortalized on the 'Walk of Fame' here Friday, the star-studded stretch of sidewalk on Hollywood Boulevard.

MADRID, Oct 11, 2008 (AFP) - 'Surveillance', a thriller by Jennifer Lynch, daughter of legendary filmmaker David Lynch, Saturday won the top prize at the 41st International Film Festival of Catalonia, the organisers announced.

LONDON, Oct 11, 2008 (AFP) - The golden gun used by villain Scaramanga in the James Bond movie 'The Man With The Golden Gun' has been stolen from its film studio home, British police said Saturday, according to the BBC.

The prop, one of the most iconic weapons in cinema history, was noticed missing from Elstree Studios, north of London, on Friday, Hertfordshire Constabulary said.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 10, 2008 (AFP) - A woman charged with stalking Hollywood actor John Cusack pleaded no contest Friday and was sentenced to time already served (six months) plus five years probation, court officials said.

Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Susan Speer also ordered Emily Leatherman, 34, to undergo psychiatric counseling, the official added.

ABU DHABI, Oct 10, 2008 (AFP) - The second edition of the Middle East International Film Festival hosted by the oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi kicked off Friday with a glamorous red-carpet parade.

BUSAN, South Korea, Oct 9, 2008 (AFP) - Asian filmmakers who have watched in envy as US superheroes have won billions at the international box office are determined not to let Hollywood have everything its own way.