Thursday 12 June 2008

Shania Twain splits from husband

Canadian country star Shania Twain has separated from her husband of 14 years, reclusive record producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, People magazine has reported.

It quoted a spokesman as saying, "This is a private matter and there will be no further comment at this time."

Twain, 42, and Lange, who is in his late 50s, have a a six-year-old son named Eja.

The marriage between the sexy singer and the secretive Svengali famed for his work with such metal acts as AC/DC and Def Leppard, was an unlikely - but highly lucrative - partnership.

Lange produced Twain's three blockbuster albums, which have each sold more than 10 million copies in the United States. The glossy efforts, complemented by steamy video clips, crushed the barrier separating country and pop.

Like many men, Lange was entranced by one of Twain's videos, the first of many in which she showed off her famed belly button.

He called her persistently, and they agreed to collaborate professionally. Six months after they eventually met, they married in December 1993.

Unlike many superstar producers, Lange has not given an interview in decades and is rarely photographed. He did not even appear in the official wedding photo Twain distributed to the media.

But his fingerprints were all over Twain's huge trilogy of albums, 1995's The Woman in Me, 1997's Come on Over, and 2002's Up!

More arena rock than traditional country, the albums were packed with catchy hooks and lyrics celebrating female empowerment.

The couple avoided the spotlight by dividing their time between a chateau near Geneva and a luxury farmhouse in New Zealand.





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Friday 6 June 2008

The Beatles guru Maharishi dies aged 91

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the man who taught the Beatles transcendental meditation, has died. He was 91.
The Indian mystic became famous in 1968 when the Beatles travelled to the foothills of the Himalayas to learn his techniques and he was also filmed with Mike Love of the Beach Boys, the singer Donovan and actress Mia Farrow.
Love said: "His passing is profoundly sad. But I for one, am among the millions who are grateful for what he shared with us. We will miss you, but your great light will shine on."
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi moved to the village of Vlodrop in Holland in 1990 and died there last night.
The Maharishi built a business empire worth billions, including property dealing and a company selling ayurvedic medicine and cosmetics.
He set up universities and schools all over the world and his Natural Law Party has campaigned in elections in dozens of countries around the world.