Wednesday 26 September 2012

Have you heard?: Pregnancy rumours all around!


It seems like motherhood has caught up with music sensations Shakira and Lady Gaga as rumours seem to be floating about a stork’s impending visit.
Ending weeks of speculation, Colombian singer Shakira confirmed on Wednesday that she and Spanish soccer star Gerard Pique are expecting their first child and that she has decided to cancel all the promotional activities she had scheduled. “As some of you may know, Gerard and I are very happy awaiting the arrival of our first baby!” she said on Wednesday on her web page.
However, the eccentric Lady Gaga, who is currently dating actor Taylor Kinney, has not surfaced with any such confirmation but there seems to a buzz in the air. “I think she is pregnant because she has been covering up this part of her body recently and I have been noticing that a lot,” Osbourne said during Alan Carr’c chat show. “And her style has changed and you can’t bleach your hair blonde when you are pregnant,” she added. Well, we’ll find out soon enough!

Paris Hilton’s anti-gay rant!


The famed socialite recently made objectionable comments during a cab ride in New York City about gay men. The cab driver secretly recorded her comments while she was having a conversation with a gay friend. “They’re disgusting. Dude, most of them probably have AIDS,” said the blatant Hilton.
In an attempt to cover up, Hilton’s representative released a statement saying that the driver took the comments out of context and that “it was not her intent to make any derogatory comments about all gays.” He further added, “Paris is a huge supporter of the gay community and would never purposefully make any negative statements about anyone’s sexual orientation.”
After receiving a lot of criticism for her comments, Hilton herself issued an apology stating, “I was having a private conversation with a friend of mine and it was in no way directed towards the entire gay community. It is the last thing I would ever do and I cannot put into words how much I wish I could take back every word.”
Adding to her apology, she said, “Gay people are the strongest and most inspiring people I know.”

Have you seen? Skinny Kim Kardashian



Kim Kardashian tells her screaming teenage fans in Victoria that it was tough to maintain her weight.
Kim Kardashian told her screaming teenage fans in Victoria that it was tough to maintain her weight. The socialite was at a shopping centre, spruiking Quick Trim products as she confessed she has a weakness for Tim Tams.
“I love Australia. I want to bring my sisters with me next time and hope to eat at good restaurants,” she said, according to the Herald Sun.
However, boyfriend Kanye West hasn’t been too happy with Kim’s sudden weight loss. “Kanye loves her curves and has told her repeatedly that she shouldn’t get too skinny,” reports OK magazine. ”He’s always encouraging her to do things for herself and not give into peer pressure.”
Regardless, Kim is pursuing her weight loss plan as she claims it makes her feel more confident. Her defiance has left Kanye worried that she may be rethinking their relationship, according to Hollywood Life.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 24th, 2012.         
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Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy keen to make film on cross-border social issues


Around 150 acid attacks on women take place in Pakistan every year, says Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, who won an Oscar for portraying the trauma, helplessness and struggles of women disfigured by such violence in her country.
The journalist-turned-filmmaker from Karachi is now keen to make a short film on the mutual concerns that Pakistan and India share on social issues.
“India and Pakistan are plagued by the same (social) issues. I would love to make a film highlighting their mutual concerns, documenting the perspectives of both the countries. Hope that it will materialise,” Sharmeen told IANS in an e-mail interview.
Sharmeen, 33, won the Oscar for her 42-minute documentary ‘Saving Face’. The film, the first from Pakistan to win an Oscar, captures the emotions of two acid-attack survivors — Zakia, 39, and Rukhsana, 23.
As many as 150 acid attacks take place in Pakistan every year, but only three incidents are reported, said Sharmeen.
She decided to direct the film as she felt “strongly about creating awareness about the issue.”
“I took this subject as it is very sensitive. I strongly felt there was a need to create awareness on the issue. Survivors like Zakia and Rukhsana are not only left with physical scars; their families often opted to lock them up for the rest of their lives to hide their injuries.
“Trauma, disfigurement and ostracism are not nearly an exhaustive list of these consequences,” Sharmeen said.
“It was not until I spent time with my subjects, researching for the film, that I realised how far-reaching and severe the consequences of each attack are,” she said.
Zakia had acid flung on her by her husband and is now fighting for a divorce, while Rukhsana, who faced a similar attack by her husband and in-laws, has been forced to return to them.
Sharmeen, who started her career as an investigative journalist, said the documentary was aimed at highlighting the menace of acid violence – which is gradually becoming a major crime against women in South Asia.
Pakistan had last year passed the Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Bill, under which an attacker faces a prison sentence of 14 years to life, besides a Rs.1 million fine (£7,000; $12,000).
In Pakistan, most acid attacks are reported in the Saraiki belt of southern Punjab, one of the largest cotton-growing regions in that country, said Sharmeen.
“Acid is used to process cotton and readily available in Saraiki. This area is also beleaguered with low literacy, high unemployment levels and an arid climate. The lethal combination of frustration, backward mindset and readily-available industrial acid has led to the current state of violence,” the filmmaker said.
Saving Face, which has been telecast on HBO in the US and Channel 4 in the UK, was screened in India but not telecast by any television channels yet.
“It will not be aired in Pakistan. The subjects of the film (Zakia and Rukhsana) requested us not to telecast it.”
Many cases of acid attacks are reported in India too.
“Though the Pakistani parliament has taken steps to curb acid violence by criminalising the menace, we still have a long way to go. In India, there is currently no legislation in place to regulate the availability of acid or punish perpetrators of the acid violence,” observed Sharmeen.
However, Bangladesh has effectively managed to lower the number of acid-related crimes, she said.
In 2002, Bangladesh passed laws regulating the availability of acid and other corrosive substances, besides prescribing stringent punishment for the perpetrators of acid attacks.
“The laws reduced the number of victims by more than half (in Bangladesh) and Pakistan must work towards mirroring their efforts.”
India does not have a separate section under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to deal with acid attacks. It is clubbed with other crimes.
Sharmeen has made 16 films in 11 countries over the past decade.
“I launched my production house, SOC Films, in Karachi late last year. We are currently producing and airing a documentary series titled ‘Ho Yaqeen’, which highlights the heroes working on the ground in Pakistan. We are also working on a socially motivated animated series geared towards Pakistani children.”
Sharmeen has also won an Emmy for her documentary ‘Pakistan: Children of the Taliban’ in 2010.

Heroine: A bland order served hot


KARACHI: 
Due to his films CorporateFashion and Traffic Signal, director Madhur Bhandarkar is best known for creating narratives based on the dirty realities of various industries.
By coherently depicting the truth, Bhandarkar has for the most part kept his audience captivated and entertained with some thrilling plots. But his latest production Heroine — a story based on the industry he is a part of — is as superficial and redundant as the fake English accents in the film.  Heroine is one of the most half-hearted attempts at depicting present day Bollywood — a sheer disappointment one was not expecting from a seasoned director like Bhandarkar.
The film narrates the story of a young actor Mahi Arora, played by Kareena Kapoor, who is trying to find her place in Bollywood but is constantly held back by relationship blues, a permanent identity crisis and regular alcohol abuse. Bhandarkar’s portrayal of Bollywood is too simplistic and confined; while he correctly demonstrates the presence of industrialists, ministers and cricketers at Bollywood parties alongside the actual film stars, he has simultaneously depicted a very limited aspect of their lives — showing they are all chasing after sex, relationships and drugs.
As a viewer who is well aware of the “it’s lonely at the top” stereotypes attached to showbiz, one is constantly hoping for something more, such as Bhandarkar’s other productions. Unfortunately, your perception of Bollywood will not change much since Bhadarkar has simply played with already existing generalisations. And that is not the worst part — the script is weak and unstructured; if you go out for a cigarette break and return, you will not have missed anything.
Kareena’s character on the other hand is dull. Despite Bebo’s brilliant acting skills, her role is as hollow as an empty barrel and depicts nothing in particular which is specific to Bollywood. Mahi is craving for fame, but her symptoms and actions are quite similar to any other woman suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. What is even more disappointing is the fact that after going through so much, her character fails to evolve, leaving the audience frustrated.
Just when you think the movie’s pace has picked up — thanks to the stimulating item number “Halkat Jawani” — and lifted the audiences’ hopes and expectations, the second half takes a tragic plunge to its death. Not only does the film become even more predictable, it also drags on for no justifiable reason. After the climax, you may feel like a prisoner who has been held captive for a few hours.
While some witty one-liners such as “Hamari industry mein zip aur zabaan dono band rakhni chahiye” do fare well with the audience, apart from Kareena’s stellar performance, there is not much to remember the film by. Bhandarkar fans will be disappointed if they were expecting a bolder, more controversial depiction of his film fraternity. Since he is someone who is part of Bollywood, one expects him to have created a remarkable film. Unfortunately, his version is dreary and bland.

Let actors turn into singers, says Shankar


 MUMBAI: Shankar Mahadevan is all for actors’ entering the singing arena, but the singer-composer says they cannot change the music scene of the country.
Actor Priyanka Chopra recently launched her international single “In My City” and actor Ranbir Kapoor also sang a few lines in a promotional video for his film Barfi!.
But Mahadevan says media shouldn’t base assumptions on “one-off cases”. “Sometimes an actor or an actress sings a song, but you can’t generalise. This is the question of the music of the country, don’t generalise this with that,” he said upon being asked if actors turning singers would lead to less scope for professional singers.
“If they are doing this job (singing), it’s fantastic. They are the icons of the country and they should do it. But that doesn’t mean they are going to change the music scene of the country,” the 45-year-old said.
Mahadevan is set to be a judge on the upcoming season of singing reality show “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012”. He says unlike other shows, the judges’ panel will not showcase a contestant’s financial background for television rating points.
“We don’t see anybody’s financial status in this show. Some are from well-to-do families while some are from very poor families, this is not our criteria. We only see the singing talent, and like so many reality shows portray a contestant’s poor house and all which is not even true most of the times.”
“We are only looking for a good singer, whether it’s a male singer or a female singer,” said Mahadevan.
Besides him, composer duo Sajid-Wajid and bass guitarist of the band Indian Ocean, Rahul Ram completes the judges’ panel. The show is set to go on air on Zee TV from September 29.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 25th, 2012.         
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Rihanna leads MTV Europe Music Award nominations


LOS ANGELES: 
Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna led the nominations for the MTV Europe Music Awards on Monday with six nominations, ahead of country songstress Taylor Swift with five and pop stars Justin Bieber and Katy Perry with four each.
The music channel said Rihanna had been shortlisted for best song “We Found Love”, best female, best pop, best video for “We Found Love”, “biggest” fans and in the new category best look.
She is up against Swift in the female, pop and look categories, while Swift was also nominated for best live and best world stage act.
Lady Gaga dominated last year’s awards held in Belfast, coming away with four prizes and performing “Marry the Night”. This year she is nominated for three awards – best live act, best video and “biggest” fans.
The awards, many of which are voted for by MTV fans online, are one of the biggest pop events outside the United States, and, despite being based in Europe, are generally dominated by American artists.
This year they will be held in Frankfurt’s Festhalle on November 11.
Following are the main nominations:
Best song: Carly Rae Jepsen/“Call Me Maybe”; Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris/ “We Found Love”; Gotye/ “Somebody That I Used To Know”; Pitbull feat. Chris Brown/ “International Love”; Fun. feat. Janelle MonĂ¡e/ “We Are Young”
Best new: Rita Ora; Fun.; One Direction; Lana Del Rey; Carly Rae Jepsen
Best female: Rihanna; Katy Perry; P!nk; Taylor Swift; Nicki Minaj
Best male: Justin Bieber; Kanye West; Flo Rida; Pitbull; Jay-Z
Best pop: Justin Bieber; No Doubt; Katy Perry; Taylor Swift; Rihanna
Best live: Taylor Swift; Lady Gaga; Jay-Z & Kanye West; Green Day; Muse
Best hip hop: Jay-Z & Kanye West; Nas; Rick Ross; Drake; Nicki Minaj
Best rock: Linkin Park; Green Day; Muse; The Killers; Coldplay
Best electronic: David Guetta; Swedish House Mafia; Avicii; Skrillex; Calvin Harris
Best alternative: Jack White; The Black Keys; Arctic Monkeys; Florence + The Machine; Lana Del Rey
Best video: M.I.A./Bad Girls; Lady Gaga/Marry The Night; Katy Perry/Wide Awake; Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris/We Found Love; PSY/Gangnam Style. 
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2012.
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