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 24^th, 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 Corporate, Fashion 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 25^th, 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 Monáe/ “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 19^th, 2012.

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Gangnam Style' hit doubles value of Psy's father's stock

 SEOUL: A pop star whose song “Gangnam Style” became the first Korean hit to top Apple’s music download charts has also worked his magic on his father’s software firm, helping it double in value since singer and dancer Psy burst onto the global scene in July.

Psy’s father, Park Won-ho, is the chairman and controlling shareholder of South Korean semiconductor company D I Corp and its market capitalization has surged to 113.5 billion won ($101.29 million) on the main Seoul bourse, making it as of Tuesday the 459th most valuable stock measured by size.

Psy’s “Gangnam Style”, which mocks the rampant consumerism of a rich Seoul suburb, went viral on video-sharing website Youtube. The video has been viewed more than 267 million times on Youtube since it was released in mid-July.

“The positive sentiment from ‘Gangnam Style’ has attracted investors just because of the fact that the company is owned by Psy’s father and uncle,” said Lee Sun-tae, a researcher at NH Investment and Securities, who added Psy is not a shareholder in the company.

“The popularity will slowly dissolve in time, naturally.”

South Korea’s legion of retail investors, mainly middle-aged people, tend to jump on speculative stocks.

Software millionaire Ahn Cheol-soo, who this month announced he would run for the country’s presidency, saw the value of his company Ahnlab Inc.’s shares slide after his bid.

Ahnlab stock was down 30 percent on Tuesday compared with its closing level a week ago, just a day before he made his announcement.

Psy vows topless show if "Gangnam-style" reaches No1

 SEOUL: A chubby South Korean singer who has taken the pop world by storm, topping Apple’s Itune downloads and getting 270 million Youtube views, has vowed to perform his “Gangnam Style” hit topless if it reaches number one.

The rapper who does the foot-stomping “horse dance” and goes by the name Psy, returned on Tuesday to the upmarket Seoul suburb that he put on the world music map.

“If it ranks number one in the Billboard chart, then I will perform ‘Gangnam Style’ topless in a place where everyone can watch,” Psy told a news conference on his return from the United States.

Gangnam is the most upmarket neighborhood in the South Korean capital. Known as Seoul’s “Beverly Hills”, its streets are lined with designer-brand shops and trendy bars and restaurants.

Psy, who sums up his style as “dress classy, dance cheesy”, has became a surprise hit in the United States where he was feted on chat shows and signed a deal with Island Records.

Psy, whose real name is Park Jai-sang, has always stuck out as an oddity compared with the svelte, well-scrubbed members of Korean girl and boy bands that have swept to fame in Asia and beyond.

After gaining recognition with a 2001 debut album, he landed in hot water several times. He says he was caught smoking marijuana and later had to repeat his mandatory military service after not taking it seriously the first time.

The 34-year-old was raised in Gangnam and went to the Berklee College of Music in the United States. He dropped out of a US business school which his traditional parents hoped would prepare him for taking over the family business.

Referring to his kitschy image, he said: “Honestly, I like being ‘second class’… I was born ‘B’ class.”

His hit, released in mid-July, was intended to be fun, he said. Doing a bit of his horse-riding dance, Psy declared in English that his aim was to have “fun by music”.

While he hasn’t taken over the family business, his new-found fame seems to have helped it considerably.

The value of his father’s technology company, D I Corp’s, which is listed on the Seoul Stock Exchange, has doubled since July. Its market capitalization has surged to $101.29 million since he shot to fame.

Psy plans to release a new record in the United States in November.

Destination: Do-buy

It is always nice to meet friends in a foreign land; any such opportunity brings with it a sense of togetherness and bonding. And if the occasion is presenting Pakistan in a successful, shining manner, a glowing sense of pride also becomes a part of the package.

Recently, the ever delightful and enterprising Zeba Husain, Shezray Husain and Shehrnaz Husain did just that in Dubai by expanding their business horizons.

The Husains launched the House of Ensemble — a multi-label boutique that stocks some of the most sought-after designer labels from Pakistan and India — in Dubai. Fashion designers and journalists traveled to D-town to attend the grand opening of the store, welcomed by the signature warmth and smiles of the Husains.

Housed in a villa on main al Wasal Road in Dubai’s upscale Jumeirah 1, the boutique has been launched in partnership with Faiza Malik, Zeba’s sister. The chic store brings together big names from the Pakistani and Indian fashion scene along with some new and cutting edge labels. The store offers the biggest designer collection in town, with over 50 South Asian designers under one roof. The list reads like ‘Who’s Who’ of fashion including Shamaeel, Umar Sayeed, Sana Safinaz, Deepak Perwani, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Faiza Samee, Ritu Kumar from the big wigs; Nomi Ansari, HSY, Nida Azwer, Rana Noman, Saniya Maskatiaya from the young Turks and Delphi by Nida Tapal and The PinkTree Company representing the cutting-edge chic.

Ensemble offers its in-house cotton casuals from its line One and formal collection Shehrnaz, too.

“The most salient feature is that we present latest trends that are in vogue in home countries like India and Pakistan. Usually, people abroad have this impression that that they are offered old trends. We want to change this perception and offer the latest as in our other stores as we have the largest chain of stores,” explains Shezray. After Karachi and Lahore, now Dubai can easily be called the third city where our fashion finds great demand and an ever-burgeoning market — even before Islamabad. The emirate cannot be a second priority for any smart retailer.

“Our USP is that we are offering the same prices as home countries,” says Shehrnaz. “We are not adding ridiculously high mark-ups as Dubai is just two hours away from Pakistan. There’s a lot of traffic between the two destinations. Dubai fashion savvy women can easily compare the prices and procure from Pakistan. The aim is to provide choice of latest collections for the same prices at their doorstep,” she explains.

It was delightful to meet Raheel Rao, Aamna Haider Isani, Deepak Perwani, Nida Azwer and Nomi Ansari at the event. Umair Tabani, Rabia Samee and Saleha from Faiza Samee, Rana Noman Haq, Fatmah Amir were also present at the Ensemble Dubai launch. Deepak’s bantering, Aamna Isani’s witty commentary and Raheel Rao’s funny observations provided much needed lighter moments in the oppressive heat of the desert. In jest, I tried my best to corrupt Rabia Samee, Faiza’s daughter, but failed miserably. It’s a pleasure to see a child I have known grow into a strong-willed, lovely woman.

I was over the moon as my partner in The PinkTree, Sheena Rizvi and friends Amber Z Khan, Asma Kamal, Sadaf Jalil, Muna Khan, Meena Raza and Zaib Shadani turned up to support The PinkTree Company, which is also stocking at Ensemble Dubai.

We talked, laughed, ate, had wonderful moments and created memories — a few of my favourite things. For lazy dogs like me, work becomes bearable when wrapped in such splendid blessings. And the Ensemble Dubai launch was that and more. It blended business and pleasure in style.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2012.         

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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan named UN HIV/AIDS envoy

"Spreading awareness on health issues, especially related to women and children, has always been a priority for me." PHOTO: AFP

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations appointed Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan a goodwill ambassador on Monday, with a mission to help stop new HIV infections in children and promote increased access to anti-retroviral treatment.

Rai, who gave birth to her first child in November, will work with the U.N. program on HIV/AIDS, known as UNAIDS, advocating the “Global plan towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children and keeping their mothers alive.”

“Spreading awareness on health issues, especially related to women and children, has always been a priority for me,” Rai said in a statement.

“And now, as a new mother, I can personally relate to this – the joys and concerns of every mother and the hopes that we have for our children.”

Rai will be focusing on 22 countries, including India, which account for more than 90 percent of new HIV infections among children. Of those, 21 are in sub-Saharan Africa, where the estimated number of children newly infected by HIV fell by 25 percent between 2009 and 2011, UNAIDS said.

Rai, who often features on “most beautiful” lists and is married to actor Abhishek Bachchan, won the Miss World crown in 1994. She went on to build a successful Bollywood career with hits such as “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam” and “Devdas.” She has also worked in Hollywood films such as “The Pink Panther 2″ and is a regular at the Cannes film festival.

Sex, drugs and village politics in Potter author's new novel

The British author's first major work since 2007, her new black comedy, titled "The Casual Vacancy", is already a guaranteed success. PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON: Harry Potter author JK Rowling bids goodbye to the boy wizard on Thursday when she releases her first novel for adults, a gritty tale of poverty and politics in an idyllic English village.

With more than 450 million copies of the Potter books sold and fans feverishly excited about the British author’s first major work since 2007, her new black comedy, titled “The Casual Vacancy”, is already a guaranteed success.

Pre-order sales have reportedly topped a million copies and British booksellers expect it to be the best-selling fiction title of the year.

“It’s one of the biggest releases of the 21st century,” Philip Stone, charts editor at The Bookseller magazine, told AFP.

“I think 99.9 percent of us (in the industry) are predicting it will go straight to number one.”

And as the world’s first billionaire author, 47-year-old Rowling has the luxury of not needing to worry about paying the bills if her first foray into “grown-up” fiction is panned by the critics.

“I am the freest author in the world. I can do whatever the hell I like,” she told Britain’s Guardian newspaper.

“If everyone says, ‘Well, that’s shockingly bad — back to wizards with you’, then obviously I won’t be throwing a party. But I will live.”

Rowling’s publisher Little, Brown has released some details of the plot, while a few more have emerged from the few journalists allowed advance access to the book, under tight security reminiscent of the height of Pottermania.

Set in the fictional village of Pagford in southwest England, the story opens with the death of a member of the local parish council.

Middle-class villagers soon begin plotting to fill the vacant seat with someone sympathetic to their cause — ridding Pagford of its responsibility for the Fields, a squalid housing estate.

“We’re a phenomenally snobby society,” Rowling told the Guardian, “and it’s such a rich seam. The middle class is so funny.”

Tackling themes including heroin addiction, prostitution, single parenthood and adolescent lust, the book is a radical departure from the sanitised fantasy of her seven novels pitting teenage wizards against the evil Lord Voldemort.

Rowling said she had been itching to cover more adult topics.

“There are certain things you just don’t do in fantasy,” she told the New Yorker magazine. “You don’t have sex near unicorns. It’s an iron-clad rule. It’s tacky.”

Today, Joanne Rowling is a glamorous blonde with palatial homes in Edinburgh and London.

She is worth £560 million ($907 million, 703 million euros) according to the Sunday Times Rich List, with a business empire spanning eight blockbuster films, theme parks, toys and videogames.

But in the early 1990s she was battling depression and surviving on state handouts, struggling to raise her daughter alone as she wrote the first Potter novel in Edinburgh cafes.

Her experience of poverty and lone parenthood, following the breakdown of her short, disastrous marriage to a Portuguese journalist, was one influence on the plot of “The Casual Vacancy”.

The book was also partly inspired by her youth, spent in villages similar to Pagford.

“This was very much me vividly remembering what it was like to be a teenager, and it wasn’t a particularly happy time in my life,” Rowling told the Guardian.

Her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when Rowling was 15 and she had a difficult relationship with her father — the two have not spoken for around nine years.

These days, she can bring up her own three children — she has two more with second husband Neil Murray, a doctor whom she married in 2001 — in the utmost comfort.

But she insists that with money and fame, her problems have changed, rather than evaporated altogether.

“I am so grateful for what happened that this should not be taken in any way as a whine, but you don’t expect the pressure of it,” she told the Guardian.

Giving evidence to an inquiry into press ethics last November, she blasted the British press for invading her children’s privacy.

Rowling is currently working on two more books for young children.

Where she goes from there may depend on her mode of transport — Harry Potter was dreamed up on a train, while the idea for “The Casual Vacancy” struck her while she was on a plane.

“Obviously I need to be in some form of vehicle to have a decent idea,” she has said.

Stolen 1778 bust of Ben Franklin worth $3m found in bag on bus

Stolen 1778 bust of Ben Franklin worth $3m found in bag on bus

Ben Franklin is back home, a little worse for the wear after a trip on a bus. A bust valued at $3 million by its owner of the famous founding father was returned to the Philadelphia region after authorities arrested a former cleaning woman who they said was carrying the stolen sculpture in a bag on a bus in Maryland. The bust’s owner, George D’Angelo, was relieved to hear authorities had recovered his family’s heirloom, a 1778 plaster of Paris creation by French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon, which was stolen from his home in August. “This is a great treasure,” D’Angelo, 85, who lives in the upscale suburbs of Philadelphia, told reporters on Monday.

“The bust, which I feel is so magnificent, actually belongs to all of us. It is a treasure of the United States of America,” D’Angelo said. He listed its value at $3 million on an FBI affidavit.

It was recovered as Andrea Lawton, who was fired by the cleaning company that serviced D’Angelo’s home, stepped off a bus in Elkton, Maryland, on Friday, authorities said. Law enforcement officials said she had the icon in a bag.

Lawton was charged with illegally transporting the stolen bust across state lines, a federal offense, authorities said. D’Angelo said he was told that the bust is now cracked across the chest, and he hopes it can be restored. According to an FBI affidavit, Lawton was fired on August 21 and three days later employees of the cleaning company arrived at the house and saw her driving off in an SUV. Once inside the home, the employees noticed the bust was not on its pedestal. The FBI traced Lawton to Alabama and, after learning she was riding a bus back north, arrested her in Maryland on Friday. reuters

Movies suffer worst box office slump in a decade

Movies suffer worst box office slump in a decade

The North American box office hit a slump at the weekend, with top earner ‘The Possession’ taking in less than $10 million and what could be the gloomiest overall haul since the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

With only a couple of new releases to tempt movie fans, horror movie ‘The Possession’ pulled in an estimated $9.5 million in the United States and Canada.

That’s the first time since 2008 that no film took $10 million or more at the domestic box office.

Early September is historically sluggish. After blockbuster releases over the summer, Hollywood studios reserve their big films for the November and December holidays.

But revenues for the three-day movie-going weekend were particularly low, with the total gross for all films expected to be $65-$68 million.

If the numbers hold when final figures come in on Monday, it could make the weekend the worst since September 21-23 2001 – two weekends after 9/11 – when revenue topped out at $59.7 million.

“It is pretty scary when the top movie comes in at only $9.5 million,” said Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst at Hollywood.com.

“This is one of the worst-grossing weekends of the last 10 years. In the summer, single movies had opening weekends bigger than this entire weekend gross,” he added.

However, Dergarabedian said hope was on the way next week with the next installment of the ‘Resident Evil’ horror franchise and the re-release of Disney/Pixar’s 2003 family film ‘Finding Nemo’, this time in 3D.

This weekend’s lows follow a mixed summer that saw blockbusters like ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and ‘The Avengers’ but a number of flops that led to a 5 percent drop in summer ticket sales in North America compared to summer 2011.

But in the year to date, the domestic box office is up more than three percent in revenue compared to the same point in 2011 and currently stands at $7.7 billion, with a 2 percent increase in attendance.

Among the few notable spots was the anti-President Barack Obama documentary ‘2016: Obama’s America’. It boosted its cumulative total to more than $26 million to become the second-biggest political documentary since liberal filmmaker Michael Moore’s 2004 anti-war indictment, “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

New thriller ‘The Cold Light of Day’ flopped with just $1.8 million. Lions Gate spokesman Paul Pflug, whose studio released the movie along with ‘The Possession’ and ‘The Expendables 2’, said the studio “went into the weekend with modest expectations.”

‘The Cold Light of Day’, stars Henry Cavill, Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver in a story about a Wall Street trader whose family is kidnapped during a sailing trip in Spain.

It cost $20 million to produce. Distributor Summit Entertainment, a division of Lions Gate, reduced its risk through a co-financing arrangement with Intrepid Pictures, pre-sales of foreign rights and a production tax credit in Spain.

‘The Possession’, about a young woman possessed by a demon and starring Kyra Sedgwick, out-sold Prohibition-era crime drama ‘Lawless’, which took in $6 million. The only new movie to make the top 10 was romantic thriller ‘The Words’, which earned $5 million. It stars Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana in the story of a writer who finds a manuscript in a 1940s briefcase and considers passing it off as his own. The film was produced for $6 million and acquired by CBS Films, a unit of CBS Corp, for $2 million.

Rounding out the top five, action movie sequel ‘Expendables 2’ grossed $4.7 million domestically. Another action sequel, ‘The Bourne Legacy’, rung up $4.0 million.

Lions Gate Entertainment released ‘The Possession’ and ‘Expendables 2’. ‘The Words’ was distributed by CBS Films, a unit of CBS Corp. The privately held Weinstein Co released ‘Lawless’. ‘Bourne Legacy’ was distributed by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp. reuters

Paralympics : Coldplay, Rihanna, Jay-Z star in Games finale

Paralympics : Coldplay, Rihanna, Jay-Z star in Games finale

Fantastical wheeled vehicles, roller-skating warriors and bursts of fire brought the London Paralympics to a close Sunday, in a quirky closing ceremony headlined by Coldplay, Rihanna and Jay-Z.

British supergroup Coldplay provided the backdrop to a three-hour extravaganza interspersed3 Paralympics: Coldplay, Rihanna, Jay-Z star in Games finale

Fantastical wheeled vehicles, roller-skating warriors and bursts of fire brought the London Paralympics to a close Sunday, in a quirky closing ceremony headlined by Coldplay, Rihanna and Jay-Z. British supergroup Coldplay provided the backdrop to a three-hour extravaganza interspersed with dance and performance at the Olympic Stadium in east London, belting out hits including “Clocks”, “The Scientist” and “Yellow”. “Being asked to play at the Paralympic Closing Ceremony in our home town is a huge honour,” said lead singer Chris Martin. “This will be the biggest night of our lives,” added Martin, who is married to US actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

The band, who have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, accepted a fee of £1 to headline the show.

The ceremony kicked off with a procession of fire jugglers, a parade of drummers carrying blazing beacons, and a giant burning model cyclist who wheeled around the stadium. Dressed unusually modestly in a flowing orange gown and veil, Barbados star Rihanna sailed into the show onboard a model ship and sang a steamy duet with Martin, before performing another number on a swing strung high over the stadium. afp

Complex film ‘Cloud Atlas’ divides in leap from page to screen

Complex film ‘Cloud Atlas’ divides in leap from page to screen

Cult novel Cloud Atlas was once considered unfilmable. For some movie critics, it still is.

The adaptation of the philosophical book by Britain’s David Mitchell premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to sharply divided reviews, suggesting the complex storylines and ambitious plot structure did not always connect with audiences who had not read the novel.

With a budget that reportedly topped $100 million, and an all-star cast of Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant and Halle Berry playing multiple roles, the pressure is on for ‘Cloud Atlas’ to be a box office hit. And with Hollywood awards season just around the corner, anticipation is running high. Co-directed by Tom Tykwer of ‘Run Lola Run’ fame, and the sibling team behind ‘The Matrix Trilogy’, Andy and Lana Wachowski, ‘Cloud Atlas’ is made up of six narratives spanning from the 1840s to the present day to a post-apocalyptic future. The century-hopping film explores how actions can have consequences in the past, present and future, and the notion that humanity cannot help but repeat itself. While Mitchell’s book tells six separate but linked stories in chronological order, moving from the past to future and then back again, the film intercuts the stories to drive home the link between the threads.

“When you read the book you see that there are very resonant themes in all six stories,” co-director Lana Wachowski said of the adaptation process at a news conference on Sunday.

“Once we started seeing the resonant pieces of narrative and the pieces of narrative that seemed connected, we began sort of laying it out as if it was one big story and that was our goal.” Britain’s Guardian newspaper gave the film two stars, saying it “carries all the marks of a giant folly, and those unfamiliar with the book will be baffled”. “Yet it’s hard to wholly condemn the directors’ ambition - this is fast-paced and cleverly assembled, with the best of the performances shining through the prosthetics,” the Guardian said.

Variety said the movie was “an intense three-hour mental workout rewarded with a big emotional payoff”, while Indiewire called it “bold, messy and disappointingly unimaginative.” reuters

MP red-faced after ‘Northern Island’ Twitter gaffe

MP red-faced after ‘Northern Island’ Twitter gaffe

Junior aide to new Northern Ireland `minister left red-faced after he made gaffe about province on Twitter, mistakenly `identifying it as ‘Northern Island’

Alec Shelbrooke, the Conservative MP for Elmet and Rothwell, tweeted his delight at becoming parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Mike Penning, the Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office, after the reshuffle, The Telegraph reported.

But instead the 36 year-old wrote “Island” to almost 3,000 followers, in a post that was quickly repeated across the micro blogging website. Shelbrooke, who lives in North Yorkshire, described it as a “simple mistake” before making another spelling error while attempting to dismiss the blunder on technology. But many users on Twitter mocked his gaffes and his apparent lack of spelling. The former mechanical engineer, who entered parliament at the 2010 general election, blamed “auto correct”, a function on iPhones, in which words are changed. While some colleagues congratulated him on his appointment, and seemingly ignoring his faux pas, others ridiculed his “gaffe of the day”. In his message, posted just before 9am on Monday morning, he wrote, “Delighted to have followed Mike Penning to Northern Island [sic] as his PPS.” A Labour Party spokesman labelled his first day in the role as “gaffe of the day”. daily times monito

Archaeologists close to finding King Richard III’s body

Archaeologists close to finding King Richard III’s body

Archaeologists searching for remains of Richard III say they `are ‘tantalisingly close’ to finding his final resting place

The dig to recover the body of the king, who was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth by Henry Tudor in 1485, has already unearthed the long-lost Franciscan Friary where he was buried, The Telegraph reported.

The church, which is also called Grey Friars, was known to be where Richard III was buried but its exact whereabouts had become lost over time.

Now archaeologists say the dig will move into the third week and say they are getting ‘tantalisingly close’ in their search for the body.

Leicester City Mayor Peter Soulsby has authorised the work to continue for at least another week.

University of Leicester Archaeological Services Co-Director Richard Buckley said, “We are now tantalisingly close in our search and will investigate the choir where Richard is presumed to be buried. Whether we find Richard or not, this dig has been a huge success in terms of revealing the heritage of Leicester and I am proud that the University of Leicester has played a pivotal role in the telling of that story. There was an incredible turnout at the dig and the level of public interest in our work is phenomenal. I would like to thank the public for their generous support and it has provided huge motivation for us to continue our quest.” The search began two weeks ago and involved digging two trenches in a council car park before a third trench was excavated. There has been widespread interest in the project, which is being filmed for a Channel 4 documentary. daily times monitor

Archaeologists have so far discovered :

Over the past two weeks, the team has made major discoveries about the heritage of Leicester including:

* Determining the site of the medieval Franciscan friary known as Grey Friars.

* Finding the eastern cloister walk and chapter house.

* Locating the site of the church within the friary.

* Uncovering the lost garden of former Mayor of Leicester, Alderman Robert Herrick.

* Revealing medieval finds that include inlaid floor tiles from the cloister walk of the friary, paving stones from the Herrick garden, window tracery, elements of the stained glass windows of the church, a medieval silver penny a stone frieze believed to be from the choir stalls amongst others.

The distant dream called ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’!

The distant dream called ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’!

Way back in 2000, when I was about 12 odd years old, the country’s first megastar transformed dreams into reality – on TV. ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ (KBC) was a serial which had ushered in a new process of thought altogether in the minds of people; it had lit up lamps of hope in many hearts, Ananya Bhattacharya writes for Zee News blog

Day after day, night after night, people sat in front of their telephones, incessantly trying to get through to the automated questions and hoping to secure a seat among the 10 contestants who made it to the level of the ‘Fastest Finger First’. I too, was no exception.

Despite being underage for the ‘KBC’ which was for ‘grown-ups’, I never lost a waking moment away from the phone and a sleeping one not dreaming about making it to the hot seat. After many such days and nights, on one episode of the show, Amitabh Bachchan announced that there was to be a new show called ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati Junior’. I don’t remember being happier than what I was at that moment. Off vanished all my studies into thin air, I braved the hailstorms of scolding at home and secured my seat in front of the landline. Then, one fine day, after a transit period of about a month or so, the irritating beeps of the busy tone made way for the automated questions. A couple of correct answers later, a voice asked me to wait for a call-back on a stipulated day between 9am to 9pm.

It was as if the heavens had dropped the thing that I wanted the most in my life. I remember ransacking the shelves of the local library and bringing back home every book on general knowledge available under the sun; then reading and re-reading every single word until they made a permanent place in my memory – you never know, Mr Bachchan might just ask something that I’d skipped – and that was a risk that I wouldn’t have taken in a lifetime!

D-day arrived and I skipped school. ‘How could I stay away from the telephone’, ‘What if I get late in receiving the call and it goes unanswered’ – were questions that battled for priority in my mind. The morning proceeded towards the day and gradually afternoon crept up on me. There was still hope – a full three hours ahead before I could understand whether or not the gods of destiny were pleased with me. Hysteria set in after an hour or two, and hope still peeped from some corner of my mind, asking me to be patient.

At around 8:30 in the night – half an hour before my fate would be sealed (or so I thought, back then!) – a neighbour came to inform us that there was something wrong with our telephone – it was apparently ‘out of order’. I picked the phone up and out greeted me a strange noise that will forever be etched in my memory. The noise I still associate with disappointment, somewhere in the back of my mind. ‘KBC Juniors’, since then, never translated into a reality for me.

A decade down the line, the show still survives as the single most watched reality game show on Indian television. Many other game shows roped in many other celebrities, but survival, as they say, is rewarded to the fittest. The reach of the serial has been stretched to incorporate people from troubled backdrops and needy families in this sixth season of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’. This gesture of the brains behind the show is commendable to say the least. My dream might not have metamorphosed into reality, but just seeing so many people taking away the much-needed money has an enormous heart-warming effect. Here hoping the show, and Amitabh Bachchan’s ingenious method of connecting with people and hosting it