NEW DELHI: Bollywood superstar Sanjay Dutt, who is in jail for arms possession, is being held in a cell built for militants where he cannot see daylight and wants to be transferred, a report said on Saturday.

Dutt, 53, surrendered on Thursday to serve out the remaining three-and-a-half years of a five-year term in a case linked to deadly 1993 Mumbai bombings.

Dutt's lawyer, Rizwan Merchant, has demanded the transfer of the actor whom he said was being kept in the cell once occupied by Mumbai attacks gunman Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, according to the Indian Express daily newspaper.

Pakistani-born Kasab was executed last November, nearly four years after 166 people died in a three-day rampage that traumatised India.

The steel bunker specially built for Kasab at Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail had no ventilation and the actor could not even tell if it was day or night, the lawyer said.

"He (Dutt) is not a terrorist" and should not be kept in such a cell, the lawyer was quoted as saying.

There was no immediate comment available from the jail.

The actor, whose parents were two of India's biggest stars, shot to fame in the 1980s in a string of action movies in which he performed his own stunts, earning him the nickname "Deadly Dutt".

He was convicted in 2006 of possessing guns supplied by gangsters who staged the 1993 bomb attacks that killed 257 people but was freed on bail after serving 18 months in prison. In March, the Supreme Court upheld Dutt's conviction.

He was cleared in 2007 of more serious conspiracy charges in the blasts, believed staged by Muslim underworld leaders in revenge for religious riots in which mainly Muslims died after the razing of an ancient mosque by Hindu zealots.

Dutt, whose mother was Muslim and father Hindu, was found guilty of possession of an automatic rifle and a pistol which he insisted were only meant to protect his family in Mumbai's charged atmosphere following the mosque's destruction.

After the Supreme Court upheld his conviction, the father-of-three wept and declared himself "a shattered man". (AFP)

CANNES: Jewellery worth more than $1 million due to be loaned to stars treading the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival was stolen in a pre-dawn heist on Friday but the coveted Palme d'Or trophy was safe, officials said.

In a scenario itself worthy of a movie, thieves broke into the room of an American employee of Swiss bijoutier Chopard, ripped a safe off the wall and made off with the jewels, according to police reports.

The robbery took place at around 5:00 a.m (0300 GMT) at the Novotel hotel, 15 minutes from the festival venue, they said.

Chopard is one of the official sponsors of the festival, and one of its stores, complete with its own red carpet, lies on the palm-fringed beachfront, just opposite the venue.

The jeweller redesigned the Palme d'Or trophy and each year lends out jewellery to stars for their walk up the red-carpeted steps at the Palais des Festivals.

The photo-calls are hugely valuable to makers of gowns and jewellery, providing media exposure around the world.

An official linked to the festival said the trophy was safe.

The Palme d'Or features 118 grammes (four ounces)) of yellow gold, with a value of more than 20,000 euros ($26,000), set in a base of rock crystal.

The history of the trophy dates back to 1955 -- by coincidence, the year that Alfred Hitchcock made "To Catch A Thief," about a gentleman robber and a jewel heist on the French Riviera.

The Cannes Film Festival is ranked as the world's most prestigious movie meeting.

Famous for a backdrop of an azure-blue sea, luxury yachts and champagne parties, it lures thousands of actors, directors, producers and movie buyers.

As a result, security in the streets and hotels is very high.

Thefts do occur, but police said they had no knowledge of any loss as big as Friday's during the annual 12-day bash.

Last year, thieves made off with four watches worth 400,000 euros ($513,000) belonging to football stars Souleymane Diawara and Mamadou Niang who were in Cannes for the festival.

MUMBAI: Sanjay Dutt will surrender on Thursday before a special TADA court here to undergo his remaining jail term in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, according to his lawyer.

The TADA court on Wednesday allowed the actor to withdraw his application seeking to surrender at Yerwada Jail in Pune.

Sanjay Dutt had earlier filed a plea requesting the court to allow him to surrender in Pune, instead of special TADA court in Mumbai.

Dutt had cited an apprehension of danger to his life "from vested interests and other fundamentalist groups and organizations".

His application stated that he wanted to surrender directly either before the authorities of the Yerawada jail in Pune or Arthur Road jail, as on previous occasions when he was arrested and taken to Yerawada jail, he was "chased by the media and news reporters/journalists". He said that vehicles ferrying him to jail went at a speed of more than 120 kmph and "a minor error of judgment by the driver can lead to a fatal accident which can cost him his life".

He also said he "apprehends a large presence of media and fans at the Tada court premises which increases security risks... as it becomes difficult to monitor each and every person present at the court site... and also causes a lot of inconvenience to the police and the court".

Sanjay Dutt has been convicted under the Arms Act in the Mumbai serial blasts case.

His plea for a review of his conviction in the case has already been rejected by the Supreme Court.

The apex court on Tuesday refused to give Dutt extra time to surrender on a plea by a Bollywood producer.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to grant more time to Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt to surrender to undergo remaining three-and-a-half-year jail term in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.

A bench of justices BS Chauhan and Dipak Misra refused to hear the plea of a film producer, who sought more time for Dutt to surrender in order to complete two films which are under production.

Dutt, who was convicted under the Arms Act and was sentenced to five year jail term, is supposed to surrender before jail authorities on May 16 to undergo his remaining jail term. He has already undergone one-and-a-half-year jail term.

Earlier on May 10, the apex court had dismissed Dutt's plea seeking review of its judgement on his conviction and five-year jail term.

53-year-old Dutt was earlier granted four weeks more time to surrender to undergo the remaining jail term.

The apex court had on March 21 upheld his conviction in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case which it said was organised by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and others with the involvement of Pakistan's ISI.

However, the apex court had reduced to five years the six-year jail term awarded to Dutt by a designated TADA court in 2006 and ruled out his release on probation, saying the "nature" of his offence was "serious".

Dutt was convicted by the TADA court for illegally possessing a 9 mm pistol and an AK-56 rifle which were part of a consignment of weapons and explosives brought to India for coordinated serial blasts that killed 257 people and injured over 700 in 1993.

NEW YORK: Angelina Jolie revealed Tuesday that she has undergone a preventive double mastectomy because she had a very high risk of breast cancer.

The 37-year-old American actress wrote in an opinion piece entitled "My Medical Choice" in The New York Times that she had chosen the procedure because she carries a faulty gene that increases her risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.

Jolie, one of Hollywood's best-known faces and the partner of actor Brad Pitt, said that because of this gene, known as BRCA1, her doctors estimated she had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer. Her mother died of cancer at the age of 56, she said.

"Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy," she wrote.

"I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex," Jolie wrote. She said that on April 27 she completed the three months of medical procedures that the mastectomies involved.

Jolie said her chances of developing breast cancer are now down to five percent. Jolie and Pitt have three adopted and three biological children.

"I can tell my children they don't need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer," Jolie said.

NEW YORK: This guitar may not quite gently weep, but it could at least make a well-heeled Beatles fan cry with happiness.

The VOX guitar played both by John Lennon and George Harrison is expected to sell for between $200,000 and $300,000 at auction in New York's Hard Rock Cafe on Saturday.

The custom-made instrument is the main lot in the Julien's Auctions sale.

Harrison used it while practicing "I am the Walrus" and Lennon while recording a video session for "Hello, Goodbye." It was given by Lennon to Apple Records electronics engineer Yanni "Magic Alex" Mardas in 1967, Julien's said.

It's a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own one of the rarest pieces of Beatles memorabilia ever to be offered," the auction house said. (AFP)

LOS ANGELES: The ratings are down. Randy Jackson is out. Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj are still at it.

All is not well on TV's once dominant "American Idol," despite a shake-up at the beginning of this season that was supposed to rejuvenate the aging Fox talent competition. Instead, the behind-the-scenes-and-sometimes-in-front-of-the-scenes drama continues to cast a shadow over the series, right up to Thursday's coronation of "Idol's" 12th season champion.

Jackson's declaration last week that he was departing the show means producers could plan a proper send-off for the lone remaining original judge this week, much the same way they did for Simon Cowell during the ninth season finale in 2010. However, 'the fates of the other three judges remain uncertain amid reports they're out, too, and Fox and "Idol" producer FremantleMedia aren't commenting.

It's oh-so-familiar territory for the show, whose panel has revolved like an amusement park carousel since the addition of songwriter Kara DioGuardi at the beginning of the eighth season in 2009. The will-they-or-won't-they speculation sparked publicity for years, but many viewers — the ones who are left, anyway — have seemingly grown tired of the guessing games.

"It's a disservice to the talent on the show," said Lyndsey Parker, Yahoo's music editor who writes about "Idol" and other televised singing competitions on the "Reality Rocks" blog. "I'm quite fatigued by all the emphasis on the judges, especially when they step down or aren't asked back or whatever, and the speculation begins about all the potential replacements."

A trio of chart-topping new faces on this season's panel was supposed to breathe new life into "Idol." With reported paychecks of $18 million for Carey, $12 million for Minaj and $6 million for Keith Urban, there hasn't been a return on the investment. The ratings have never been lower for "Idol," which for nine seasons was the most-watched show on TV.

What went wrong? How did "Idol" lose its way? Was it merely a lackluster crop of contestants this season? Their song selections? Or have viewers simply grown weary of searching for yet another superstar since 2002? Maybe they were turned off by that ongoing feud between hip-hop diva Minaj and pop queen Carey, just as much as by some of the contestants?

"When you're on the stage, it does feel pretty awkward," acknowledged Candice Glover, the R&B vocalist who will face off against country singer Kree Harrison on Wednesday. "When it's happening to another contestant, I try not to watch. I don't think it overshadows the performance, but when you're up there, you have to wait for them to finish (the back-and-forth)."

The tone between the pair is far darker than the days when Cowell playfully teased Paula Abdul, and the vitriolic tweets and sensational asides between Minaj and Carey have stood in stark contrast to all the "girl power" up on stage. For the first time, five female singers ascended to the top of the pack, and a woman will win the show's grand prize for the first time since 2007.

It's likely no consolation that over on NBC's "The Voice," which has regularly toppled "Idol" in the ratings this year, drama-free celebrity panelists like Usher, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and Shakira actually seem to all get along. Some of them even dueted together last week at a Los Angeles event. It's difficult to imagine Minaj ever laying down a rap alongside Carey.

"I don't think 'Idol' is ever going to get back to its glory days," said Yahoo's Parker. "It's really difficult to retool any show that's been around for this long and make it the No. 1 on TV all over again. That said, I think it could rebound if they cast a diverse set of contestants and judges that have good chemistry. They don't necessarily have to be mega-stars."

The old "Star Search" show originally lasted for 12 years before it fizzled out (ironically, it was resurrected in 2003 after the success of "Idol"). It doesn't seem "Idol" has reached that point just yet. The show is still a huge moneymaker and draws millions of viewers. At its peak in 2003, the "Idol" finale attracted more than 38 million. Last season, more than 21 million watched the conclusion.

Perhaps even more will tune in to this week's finale to see this version of the "Idol" judging panel one last time. (AP)

LOS ANGELES: Grammy-winning musician Chris Brown's neighbors are unhappy with the creepy art he's chosen to have painted along the curb of his Hollywood Hills home.

A neighborhood group said the grimacing, sharp-toothed, red-eyed goblins painted along a retaining wall have been scaring local children, and is an eyesore to boot, the Los Angeles Times reported (http://lat.ms/19cjOBY ).

"There are lots of babies, lots of children, and they're literally frightened. It's like devils on the wall — big scary eyes and big scary teeth, and just the whole vibe is not what we're used to," Patti Negri, president of the Hollywood Dell Civic Association, told the newspaper.

L.A. city code officials responded to complaints about the monster art and cited the "Run It!" singer $376 for unpermitted and excessive signage.

Under city ordinances, it's illegal to create murals on most private properties. Though that didn't stop Madonna from painting her Hollywood Hills home in red and yellow stripes in the 1990s.

Brown has been ordered to remove the goblin paintings within 30 days, but his attorney Mark Geragos said the musician is not backing down.

"They are trying to suspend the First Amendment," Geragos said.

Geragos alleges neighbors are harassing Brown, and have also made parking complaints about him and called animal control.

Brown's tumultuous relationship with singer Rihanna and foul-mouthed Twitter presence have given him a bad boy reputation.

Brown won a Grammy in 2011 for Best R&B Album with "F.A.M.E." and was arrested shortly after the 2009 awards ceremony for assaulting Rihanna.

"I know a $300 fine is probably pocket change. But hopefully and maybe, he'll just see the light and decide to be a good neighbor," Negri told the Times. "We're happy to have him — if he just tones it down." (AP)