Bullfighting no longer a male bastion in Portugal

BENAVENTE: Seventeen-year-old Susana Frieza is making waves in Portugal as the founder of the only female group of “forcados”, or bullfighters who aim to subdue their adversary with bare hands.

“You are always scared but you learn to control fear and then it becomes easy,” said Frieza, a native of Benavente – a little town in the centre of the country, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) from Lisbon.

“Nothing can compare to the rush one feels in the initial seconds when one is facing the bull and it charges,” said the teenager, whose pluck and skill have won her both plaudits and fans.

Portuguese bullfighting is different and far less gory than the Spanish version where the bull is stabbed to death if the matador manages to win the contest.

In traditional Portuguese bull fights, eight men “forcados” challenge the bull directly with their bare hands without any protection of weapons. The bull’s horns are covered in leather to prevent any injury.

The front man provokes the bull into a charge to perform a “pega de cara”, or a face catch. He secures the head and the rest of the team then ring the beast and try to subdue it. The sport is practicised by amateur assocations.

Frieza, whose father and elder brother are “forcados”, tamed her first bull at the age of 12 when she was taken to a local fair by her brother Luis.

“A little contest had been organised with a neighbouring village when it was decided to put the little girl to the test in front of the bull. And she won!” said her 23-year-old brother, laughing.

In 2008, Frieza set up an all-girl “forcados” team in Benavente “just to try it out.”Although the girls tackle smaller bulls weighing between 200 and 300 kilograms (440 to 660 pounds), against 500 kilograms or more tackled by male counterparts, their reputation has been spreading to other parts of the country.

Frieza has been adding feathers in the cap since her successful debut at the inter-village contest.

At 15 she subdued a bull weighing about 420 kilograms, her mother Rosalia said, adding proudly: “She shut the mouths of those who were sniggering,” when she entered the ring.

“I felt so big that I felt like I was bursting out of my clothes,” said Frieza, remembering the event.

But the going has not been hunky-dory all the way. In July, she bust her nose when she was kicked twice by a calf.

“But the more blows you take, the more you want to surmount them,” she said, undaunted.

For Clara Pedro, a Lisbon resident taking part in her first corrida in Benavente, Susana is a heroine of sorts, being a “woman of courage and great inspiration for others”.

Pedro’s first foray on Saturday did not go swimmingly well. She was hit in the knee by a 200-kilogram calf and had to be taken to hospital in tears.

But Frieza, undeterred, had a second go with her team of several dozen amateurs. And for Pedro her tears are forgotten.

Will and Jada furious over Marc Anthony affair claims

The US magazine claiming Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith s relationship is in crisis hit newsstands today with a string of allegations about the couple s marriage.

In a six-page-long article, InTouch makes a series of claims - even alleging Will caught Jada and her Hawthorne co-star together in one of their homes in Los Angeles.

Yesterday Will and Jada s spokespeople made two separate statements denying claims the couple had split after InTouch released a statement, pre-empting today s explosive edition.

And a representative for Anthony - who split from wife Jennifer Lopez last month - also  unequivocally  denied reports the American singer-songwriter was involved in an off-screen affair with his Hawthorne co-star Jada, after the rumour mill went into overdrive.

But today all parties involved will face fresh anguish as the magazine was published, with a dramatic cover headline:  Two marriages destroyed: Jada steals J.Lo s husband! 

It was reported yesterday that Will and Jada have now got their legal team involved as the plot possible legal action to take against the magazine.

Today s article claims Will was left in floods of tears after catching Marc and Jade together in their Hidden Hills mansion in Los Angeles.

It alleges the 42-year-old actor, who has children Willow and Jaden with Jada, made a surprise visit to the house in early August  under the cover of darkness  and found his wife with Marc.

The report does not elaborate on what he may have witnessed, saying their insider told them:  Will didn t indicated exactly what he saw .

But InTouch claims Jada moved out of the house the next day - while Will fired several staff accusing them of covering things up.

The magazine alleged things have been a long time coming.

A source reveals there was simmering sexual tension between Jada and Marc on the set of TNT medical drama, Hawthorne.

Kareena to be waxed as 'Chameli'

MUMBAI: Finally it's finalised... After many discussions, Kareena Kapoor's avatar for the famous Madame Tussauds museum in London has been decided. 

The actress is reported to be waxed in 'Chameli' look, the character for which she was critically acclaimed and the 2003 movie that proved to be a boost in her career.According to sources, several looks were discussed, but the maximum number of votes went to Kareena's look in 'Chameli', for which she won many awards. Besides, since it's an international forum, they wanted her in Indian wear.The sources added that the museum officials have taken Bebo's measurements and have been working on her statue. For her role in 'Chameli', B-town's favourite designer Manish Malhotra along with executive producer Rangita Nandy had done the costumes and looks. So it is said that Manish will most probably design Kareen's Tussauds look as well.Kareena will be flying London in October to unveil her wax statue, sources revealed.

Happy birthday Kat!

It's actor Katrina Kaif's 27TH birthday today, but seems like the recent terror attacks in the city have put a dampener on her plans to party. Though the actor still maintains that she's no party animal, she does admit that it's a good excuse to get together with family and friends, adding that one of her best gifts this year has been her film's release on the eve of her birthday.

The actor has plans to have a muted get-together sometime later, but only if the rest of the cast of her latest film doesn't surprise her first.

As for her other birthday plans through the day, the actor reveals that she has nothing planned as of now. This time around, two of Kat's sisters are expected to fly down from the UK to join their elder sis and Kat's excited about spending it with them. But she doesn't rule out spending the day having some girlie fun.

However, not many are aware that the actor — like her good friend actor Salman Khan — also indulges in charity on the day, even though she may not spend a day with any NGO. 

Rebekah Brooks: UK’s tenacious tabloid queen

LONDON: Politicians have called for her head but Rebekah Brooks, the head of Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper empire, has refused to surrender to the phone hacking scandal that killed off the News of the World.

The 43-year-old redhead started out as a secretary and rose to become editor first of the News of the World, then its daily stablemate, The Sun, before taking over as chief executive of the group that owns them, News International.

During that time she proved herself to be charming but ruthless in pursuit of a story, a relentless networker but also extremely loyal to Murdoch, who is said to view her like a seventh child.

Observers say it is because of her close relationship with the media tycoon that Brooks is still in her job, when 200 journalists and staff at the News of World will not be following the 168-year-old tabloid’s closure next week.

She was reportedly in tears when she announced that, after a week of torrid allegations that the paper had hacked the phones of murder victims and dead soldiers’ families, Sunday’s edition would be its last.

Brooks edited the News of the World from 2000 to 2003, when some of the hacking is alleged to have taken place, but she insists she knew nothing of the practice — and Murdoch has given her his full support.

This is despite calls by opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband for her to resign, and a lack of support from her friend Prime Minister David Cameron, who said on Friday that if offered it, he would have accepted her resignation.

Many commentators viewed Murdoch’s decision to close the News of the World as a sacrifice to save Brooks, ditching one red-top (slang for a British tabloid) for another (a reference to his chief executive’s trademark hair).

Brian Cathcart, professor of journalism at Kingston University, suggested Brooks was being kept on as a firewall to protect Murdoch’s son and heir, James.

“If she goes, the next domino along is James and that’s a price Rupert’s not prepared to pay,” Cathcart told The Guardian newspaper.

Speaking to staff on Friday, Brooks wryly noted that rivals had been reporting her imminent departure since she took over at News of the World.

Despite being one of the most powerful people in Britain, Brooks has never been one to publicise her own life.

She reportedly wanted to be a journalist from the age of 14, growing up in Cheshire, northwest England before studying at the Sorbonne in Paris.

After a stint in the regional press she joined the News of the World at the age of 20, rising to editor in 2000.

After three years at the helm of the weekly title, she moved to become the first female editor of its sister paper The Sun, Britain’s top-selling newspaper, where she stayed for six years.

Ironically, her high profile job, and her first marriage to a television actor, meant she was even a target of phone hacking by a News of the World investigator at the time.

At that time she was still Rebekah Wade — she changed her name in 2009 when she married her second husband, former horse trainer Charlie Brooks, in front of guests including Cameron, Murdoch and ex-Labour prime minister Gordon Brown.

Colleagues speak of her ability to get what she wants through charm, although she is also quite prepared to take a direct approach.

According to Fleet Street legend, she once dressed up as a cleaner to get into the offices of the rival Sunday Times newspaper, hiding for two hours in the toilets before sneaking out and taking off with one of their exclusives.

More controversially, she famously launched a campaign to “name and shame” paedophiles which led to riots and the vilification of some paediatricians.

Most tattooed woman wins Guinness World Record

Julia Gnuse, who will be featured in the 2011 Guinness World Records, has spent more than £40,000 covering almost every inch of her 5ft 2 body with an array of brightly coloured tattoos.

From pictures of punk band the Sex Pistols to Disney characters, there’s hardly a slither of flesh that hasn’t been inked. Only her ears and feet remain their natural colour.

With 95 per cent of her skin covered and 400 tattoos in total, Julia has even earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s most tattooed woman and the nickname The Illustrated Lady. But she also admits her passion has turned into something of an addiction.

Bizarrely, Julia, 53, started having tattoos in an attempt to hide a rare skin condition, which left her with ugly blisters. Doctors suggested flesh-coloured tattoos would cover the red scars. But when they failed to fully disguise the marks, she opted for traditional-coloured body art instead.

While the tattoos have detracted attention from Julia’s scars, her skin still erupts in painful blisters. But she says her mission has been worth every penny.“My skin still blisters, but I feel happier and my tattoos have made me more confident,” she says. “They cover the scars and enable me to have a better life.

“Now people stare at me because I am a walking canvas, and not because of some ugly blister. I feel more confident. People want to get to know me. They are fascinated by the tattoos.”

The former singer’s love affair with tattoos began when she was 35 and diagnosed with a rare and incurable skin condition known as porphyria. It causes her to blister when exposed to direct sunlight, and makes her very sensitive to certain fabrics as well as chemicals found in washing detergents. 

“I developed it overnight,” says Julia. “It wasn’t just sunlight that affected me. My skin became so sensitive I couldn’t wear a bra as the chafing from the strap caused blisters. They were the size of a 50p piece and I’d sometimes have up to 50 at a time. And they were excruciating. If I knocked a part of my body they’d burst.

“The blisters made me feel unclean and ugly, and living in California, where every other woman is stunning, just made me feel worse. I felt very depressed and unattractive, and stayed indoors all the time. I could have moved somewhere less sunny but I hate cold, dark weather.”A dermatologist suggested to Julia that flesh-coloured tattoos would cover up the scars left by the blisters. Julia followed his advice and, while the needle didn’t irritate her skin or worsen the condition, the tattoos failed to hide the scars. It was then that Julia decided to try colourful designs instead.

She recalls: “I’d always thought tattoos looked tarty, but I was prepared to try it because I hated my scars so much. When I had the first tattoo, a five-inch octopus on my right calf in 1988, I was so scared my hands were shaking. It was painful, but I soon got used to it. And I loved the result so much I decided to have more.”

It was the start of an addiction for Julia, and she began paying almost weekly visits to a tattoo parlour in Los Angeles, California, with each tattoo taking a couple  of hours at a time. 

“I grew to love the feeling of the needle on my body,” she admits. “I was in the tattoo parlour once a week, looking at Julia’s favorite TV actress and comedian Lucille Ball features prominently on her back, while Elizabeth Perkins from the ’60s TV series Bewitched appears on her bottom.Peeking out from Julia’s breast is Bart Simpson, along with US comic Rodney Dangerfield. “Dangerfield can be rude and dirty, so being on my breast was quite appropriate,” she laughs.

“The only places I’ve kept bare are my feet and my eyes because I wanted to keep some places free of tattoos.”

Julia doesn’t work, so has funded her addiction using a generous family trust fund. But she says at first her family were shocked by her decision to get her body covered with tattoos.

“My parents and sister were pretty shocked, but they saw the tattoos as a creative outlet for me,” she says. “They have no worries about me spending the trust fund money on them. It is paid as an allowance and I can do what I want with it.” 

And she insists she’s never encountered any prejudice because of how she looks. “Of course people stare and ask about the tattoos, that’s to be expected,” says Julia. “It’s something I’ve got used to. I don’t consider myself a freak, but a body of art.”

Julia’s currently dating, and says her boyfriend thinks her tattoos are great. “I’ve been with a guy called David for over a year, and we’re very happy. He doesn’t have any tattoos, but he does love the way I look.

“I like men who are interested in me as a person, and not what I look like. Some people will not go out with me because of what I look like, and it does take a strong man to be with me because I do attract attention. They have to be secure in themselves.”

Now Julia’s running out of space for tattoos, but if she does want to get a new design, she just has it over the top of an old one.  But although Julia’s tattoos have helped her deal with the effect of her skin condition, they haven’t cured it. Sunlight still makes her blister, so when she ventures out she wears long-sleeved shirts and jeans and shields her face from the sun with a hat.

Bizarrely, having devoted so much time and money to her body art, Julia has now decided to have the bright blue tattoos on her face toned down.

Using a process known as dermabrasion, a specialist has removed the top layers of skin with a laser and in doing so has lightened the look.

“I just suddenly thought I might look a bit strange when I’m much older with a full face tattoo,” she says. “But I intend to keep the rest. They are my trademark after all – I’ll always be remembered for them.”

designs and deciding what I wanted on my body. I loved being stared at for my tattoos rather than my scars.”

“Super 8” debuts as number one at box office

LOS ANGELES The sci-fi thriller “Super 8” opened at the number one spot at the North American box office this weekend, as estimates showed the film grossing $37 million in projected three-day sales.

The horror movie, directed by JJ Abrams, takes place in a small Ohio town where a group of friends witnesses a train wreck while making a home movie.

Shortly after the crash, inexplicable events and disappearances begin to occur.

Amid “Super 8′s” debut, “X-Men: First Class” disappeared from the first place slot while earning an estimated $25 million over the weekend and landing in second place. After the prequel’s second week it has earned a total of $98.9 million, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

“The Hangover: Part II” is in third place for estimated weekend sales, with $18.5 million earnings this weekend and a total of $216.6 million domestically over three weeks.

The financial heavyweight for the summer so far is “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” which has netted $887 million worldwide in five weeks and a projected $10.8 million this weekend while coming in fifth at the box office.

The other film to open amid the top ten this week was “Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer,” which landed in the number seven spot and is expected to bring in $6.2 million over the weekend.

In fourth place, the cartoon sequel “Kung Fu Panda 2” raked in an expected $16.6 million over the weekend and the comedy “Bridesmaids” came in sixth with just over $10 million in sales.

Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” and the action film “Thor” were also in the top ten as eighth and ninth respectively, while “Fast Five” crossed the finish line at the tenth spot in its seventh week.

Robert Pattinson sinks teeth into MTV Movie Awards

UNIVERSAL CITY: The MTV Movie Awards was more like ”The Team Edward Show.”

”Twilight” star Robert Pattinson sucked up the spotlight – and some popcorn-shaped trophies _ at Sunday’s shenanigan-packed ceremony. Among the goofy actor’s moments: winning three different awards, unexpectedly kissing co-star Taylor Lautner, and slipping the F-word past censors when presenting Reese Witherspoon with the special MTV Generation Award.

”It’s not always a bad thing to have sexual chemistry with your mother,” joked Pattinson, who played the son of Witherspoon’s character in ”Vanity Fair” and her love interest in ”Water for Elephants.”

For his role as vampire Edward Cullen in ”The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” Pattinson won best male performance, best fight with Bryce Dallas Howard and Xavier Samuel, and best kiss with Kristen Stewart. Instead of smooching each other, Pattinson declared he didn’t ”feel like kissing” Stewart before he descended back into the audience and planted his lips on Lautner.

Team Jacob also earned some love from ”Saturday Night Live” star Jason Sudeikis, the show’s host, who kicked off the silly ceremony at the Gibson Amphitheater by starring in his own version of ”The Hangover” in which he went in search of a lost Lautner. The other ”Twilight” winners were Stewart for best female performance and ”Eclipse” for best movie.

”Natalie, sorry, but the popcorn is mine,” Stewart said mockingly, referencing fellow nominee Natalie Portman, who won the best actress Oscar earlier this year for ”Black Swan.”

It was the third straight year that ”Twilight” eclipsed the competition with the most wins at the fan-favorite ceremony. Last year, ”New Moon,” the second installment of the ”Twilight” film franchise, also earned awards for best movie, best kiss, best female performance and best male performance.

”The fact that we’re standing up here is a testament to all the hard work that went into ‘Eclipse,”’ Lautner said.

The non-vampire winners who picked up awards Sunday included Emma Stone for best comedic performance for ”Easy A,” Justin Bieber for best jaw dropping moment for ”Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,” Alexys Nycole Sanchez for best line for ”Grown Ups,” and Tom Felton for best villain for ”Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.”

”This will look very nice in my downstairs toilet,” Felton said of his trophy. ”Thank you.”

The ceremony was filled with several awkward moments. Sudeikis spent most of his opening monologue cracking jokes about the revelations that Arnold Schwarzenegger fathered a child with a housekeeper. He also poked fun at singer-actress Selena Gomez, who embarrassingly hid her face from the cameras as he scolded her for kissing fellow teen sensation Bieber and swallowing ”three of his baby teeth.” Later, Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake cupped each other’s genitals while presenting Pattinson with the best male performance trophy.

New York Times names first woman executive editor

NEW YORK: The New York Times announced on Thursday that Bill Keller was stepping down as executive editor and would be replaced by Jill Abramson, the first woman to hold the top editorial post at the newspaper.

Abramson, a native New Yorker, joined the Times in 1997 from The Wall Street Journal and has been managing editor since 2003. She became the newspaper’s Washington editor in 1999 and Washington bureau chief in 2000.

Current Washington bureau chief Dean Baquet, a former editor of The Los Angeles Times, was named to replace Abramson as managing editor.

The Times said Keller, who took over as executive editor in 2003, will become a full-time writer for the newspaper.

“Without question, Jill is the best person to succeed Bill in the role of executive editor,” publisher Arthur Sulzberger said.

“An accomplished reporter and editor, Jill is the perfect choice to lead the next phase of The Times’s evolution into a multiplatform news organization deeply committed to journalistic excellence,” Sulzberger said.

Abramson told the newspaper that being appointed executive editor was like “ascending to Valhalla” and becoming the first woman named to the post in the 160-year history of the newspaper was “meaningful to me.”

The Times said the appointments would be effective September 6.

Cuban ballet to tour US after 8 years

The Cuban ballet group also plans to visit Russia and Spain this year.

Cuba’s National Ballet group is visiting US with a "message of peace". The visit is the first in eight years, its director, Alicia Alonso, has said.

Addressing a press conference after rehearsals, Alonso hoped it would be a wonderful visit with a message of peace and love.

The group will begin its tour on Tuesday with six performances in Washington, New York, Costa Mesa, California and Los Angeles. The National Ballet also plans to visit Russia and Spain before the end of this year.Alicia found the National Ballet group in 1948 is still its director.

Cultural exchanges between Cuba and the United States are rare because of the economic embargo imposed on the island by the United States since 1962.

After 25 years, TV megastar Oprah bows out

CHICAGO: Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey bade farewell to her trailblazing television program Wednesday, ending 25 years of intimate star confessions by telling loyal fans they had been the love of her life.

In a program taped a day earlier at Oprah’s Harpo Studios in Chicago, Winfrey took to the stage and, in what has become almost a mantra over a quarter-century, urged her audience to follow their dreams.

“Start embracing the life that is calling you and use that life to serve the world,” Winfrey said in the show being broadcast across millions of US homes.

She said she had initially seen the show as a job, but then it morphed into something else. “Something in me connected with each of you in a way that allowed me to see myself in you and you in me. I listened and grew and I know you grew along with me.” If she had one regret it was that she had not been able to focus more attention on the issue of the sexual abuse of children, Winfrey said.

“People ask if I have regrets,” she said. “I have none really about the show, but the one thing I feel I was not able to bring attention to even though I tried in 217 shows was the sexual molestation and rape of children. Worse now with the Internet than when I first spoke of it in November 1986.”Breaking down many taboos, Winfrey has herself talked openly about being abused as a child, after being born into a life of poverty in Mississippi.

On Wednesday, Winfrey’s famous couch had been replaced with a single chair onstage, as the daytime-TV doyenne, credited with encouraging Americans to openly discuss their deepest hopes and fears, stood alone and center-stage.

Amid a collage of past highlights, Winfrey occasionally poked fun at her long-gone outfits and accessories. But most of her remarks focused on what she called her “journey.” “I always wanted to be a teacher and this is the world’s biggest classroom,” she said.

“I hope what you will take from this show is to live from the heart of yourself,” she said, as her longtime partner Stedman Graham watched from the audience accompanied by her fourth-grade teacher Mrs Duncan.

Winfrey, 57, is one of a select group of celebrities crowned an entertainment deity in the United States.

She made the transition from local television show host to national syndication in 1986 as the antithesis of what a TV talk show host was supposed to look like.

An overweight, emotive African-American woman, rather than the usual hard-driving, white male television host, she seemed an unlikely candidate for US superstardom.

But her unusual blend of self-help and celebrity confessions became wildly popular with middle America, and Winfrey ultimately became one of the most successful celebrities in US and global entertainment.

As the show drew to a close, Winfrey became emotional, a few tears escaping as she looked back on what she would call her “life’s journey.” “I am truly amazed that I, who started out in rural Mississippi in 1954 when the vision for a black girl was limited to being either a maid or a teacher in a segregated school, could end up here,” she said.

And she thanked her fans for “the genuine kindness, affection, trust and validation from millions of you all over the world.

“From you whose names I will never know I learned what love is. You and this show have been the great love of my life.” An estimated 40 million Americans watched her show each week, which is distributed in 150 countries. And she is not disappearing from TV screens, as she will now turn to running her own network, OWN.

Thanks to her business savvy, Winfrey is today one of the world’s richest women, heading a multimedia entertainment conglomerate, with ventures in theater and Hollywood film.

She also is a massive force in the book publishing industry thanks to her on-air book club.

She even had an influence in politics, famously risking alienating part of her viewership by endorsing then-candidate Barack Obama in the last presidential election.

On Monday and Tuesday, Winfrey’s program consisted of star-studded farewells taped at Chicago’s United Center.

Actress Dakota Fanning led a group of young “ultimate viewers.” “We call ourselves Oprah show babies. Your voice has been the soundtrack of our lives,” Fanning said.

“We’ve learned from the Oprah show that we are enough. That we matter, that our lives are of value.”

Famous comedian Babu Baral no more alive

Lahore: After a prolonged illness at the age of 47 Famous comedian of Pakistan Babu Baral no more alive and passed away.
Babu Baral was treated at private hospital and suffering from kidney disease, Hepatitis and cancer.
He started his career in 1982 as a comedian from Gujranwala. He left behind a daughter and a son and also 2 widows.

White iPhone finally goes on sale

WASHINGTON: The long-awaited white model of the iPhone 4 is finally available, nearly a year behind schedule.

Apple said Wednesday that white iPhone 4s can be bought through Apple’s online store starting Thursday or at Apple stores and authorized retailers.

Apple planned to begin selling the white iPhone along with the black model in June of last year but its release was repeatedly delayed by manufacturing challenges in a rare setback for the California gadget-maker.

“The white iPhone 4 has finally arrived and it’s beautiful,” Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing Philip Schiller said Wednesday.

“We appreciate everyone who has waited patiently while we’ve worked to get every detail right,” Schiller said in a statement.

Apple said the white iPhone 4 will be available on Thursday in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Macau, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States.

Apple sold 18.65 million iPhones last quarter, up 113 per cent over a year ago.

Moin Akhtar- An artist par excellence

(by Madiha Ishtiaque) 

My cousin told me that he and my grandfather are neighbors at the final resting place! Tears flooded into my eyes. Remembered days when I would sit with my grandfather on an old rustic wooden sofa, with a small screen color TV, virtually isolated from anything happening around us, and completely engrossed in the world of Moin Akhtar. Yes. He was a world in himself, life in all its vibrant and dull colors. A mirror to myriad human emotions, presenting each in its finest intricacies and subtle complexity.

Fluent in so many languages and a range of emotions that would cross his face like shadows, each one visible and adding to the profoundness of the personality he aimed to present. And then with his deadpan face and brilliant artistry, his performance would send chilling vibes through the bones, at times warm gushes of blood and on the others an instant rumble in the stomach, an urgent fit of laughter. And this would happen to Nana Abba, and me while our eyes would meet each other half way to share the pure joy and happiness, Moin Akhtar intended us to have.

It runs sharp chill in my spine thinking, how much the heart of this man who lived barely until his sixtieth birthday and attained this virtuoso in his craft decades ago, would have felt, how much of life with all its happiness and harshness this man would have observed and endured to have been able to translate it on screen. My mother feels that rarely any good actor survives longer, because of the extent of emotions he feels in order to reflect, take a toll on his heart. So did Moin Akhtar.

With Anwar Maqsood joining hands with Moin Akhtar, along with Bushra Ansari who completed the trio made a deadliest combination the genre of comedy had ever seen. Anwar maqsood's brilliant humor, personifying in Moin Akhar’s exceptional acts and Bushra Ansari’s vivacious and sharp performance created a new space that surpassed anything that was ever seen before.

Studio 2½ and Studio Poney Teen, Aangan Terha, Rosy , Half plate mark as some of his best performances that have and will continue to entertain a generation of people. It is said, he is survived by a wife, two daughters and three sons. But let me add to it, Moin Akhtar is best survived by the legacy of his impeccable and matchless art which will last longer than can be calculated.

Audiences to flock to 'Rio'

LOS ANGELES: After collecting more than $50 million in its foreign debut, Fox's animated "Rio" lands in North America this weekend and should perch right at the top of the domestic chart with receipts of about $30 million.

This G-rated tale of a domesticated macaw that sets off on an adventure to Rio de Janeiro has a lot going for it, including its obvious appeal to families and kids on spring break, very effective use of 3-D, strong reviews and that impressive following under way overseas.Horror films typically have a built-in fan base and Weinstein Co.'s successful "Scream" franchise has had a following of devotees ever since the groundbreaking first film hit theaters in December 1996. Combining horror thrills with irreverent humor and an attractive teen cast, the film went on to become the 13th highest grossing film that year. The last installment in 2000 opened in the low $30 million range and "Scream 4" coming over a decade later should scare up a gross in the $25 million to $30 million range.Universal's "Hop" was the first film released in 2011 to top the chart for two consecutive weekends and has truly benefited from an Easter theme that has endeared it to family audiences to the tune of $70 million thus far. Even with increased family-film competition in the marketplace this weekend, the irresistible appeal of Russell Brand as the son of the Easter bunny will still attract likely business in the $10 million range."Hanna" from Focus Features had a solid opening weekend last week, which saw the film jump from third to second place when the final numbers were tallied on Monday. Holding up extremely well and generating solid word-of-mouth, the intense action film features a terrific cast, including Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana, and Saoirse Ronan in the title role. "Hanna" will likely see a modest second weekend drop with a gross in the $8 million to $10 million range.This leaves Warner Bros.' comedy remake "Arthur" and Sony's inspirational true story "Soul Surfer" to battle it out for fifth place, with expected second-weekend grosses in the range of $5 million to $7 million.

New dinosaur species discover in New Mexico

THE discovery of a sharp-toothed dinosaur fossil in New Mexico was described today as a “missing link” by the US scientists who made the discovery.
Researchers from the Smithsonian Institution unearthed the dinosaur skull and neck vertebrae in Abiquiu, New Mexico, where it had remained buried for around 230 million years.
The new species, Daemonosaurus chauliodus, helps bridge the gap between the dinosaurs that existed in areas now covered by Argentina and Brazil, and later theropod dinosaurs like the Tyrannosaurus rex, the scientists claimed in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The dinosaur’s 14cm skull features large, forward-slanted teeth and large eye sockets. Because only the skull and neck were found, the exact height of the species is unknown, but researchers estimate it would have been the same size as a large dog. –Herald Sun

Fans must lick Michael Jackson's Statue,Al Fayed

Fulham FC owner Mohammed al Fayed has said fans can "go to hell" if they do not appreciate the new Michael Jackson statue at Craven Cottage.

Mr Al Fayed unveiled the tribute to his late friend ahead of Fulham's Premier League match against Blackpool on Sunday.He had wanted to put the statue outside London's Harrods store, which he previously owned, but could not get permission.So Mr Al Fayed decided to erect the memorial near the football club's ground in the city's southwest - to much consternation from Fulham fans.But the chairman dismissed criticism of the statue as "stupid"."Football fans love it. If some stupid fans don't understand and appreciate such a gift they can go to hell," he said."I don't want them to be fans. If they don't understand and don't believe in things I believe in they can go to Chelsea, they can go to anywhere else."People will queue to come and visit it from all over the UK and it is something that I and everybody else should be proud of."Mr Al Fayed invited Jackson to watch a Fulham match in 1999.

Famous TV, stage actor Mastana passes away

Bahawalpur: Pakistan’s famous television and stage actor Mastana passed away in a local hospital here in Bahawalpur on Monday. He was admitted to Victoria Hospital due to liver malfunction but he died. Mastana started his career in 1973. He performed in more than 2,000 television and stage dramas.

 

Hadiqa, Jawad to perform at charity show in Dallas

Top Pakistani pop singers including Hadiqa Kiani and Jawad Ahmed will perform live together at a charity rock concert in Dallas on Sunday, April 10 at 14315 Hotel crown plaza, midway road Addison Texas to raising fund for Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital in Pakistan, program organizers Dr. Jalil Khan and Dr. Nasarullah Khan said in a press release.Proceeds of the show will go to Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital for providing comprehensive care free of cost to thousands of indigent cancer patients in Pakistan, said Dr jalil while talking to Jang group correspondent. Tickets are on sale at FunAsia box office.

Elizabeth Taylor dies

 DAME Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, arguably the last great female star of the Hollywood studio system, died Wednesday at the age of 79. The two-time Oscar-winner had been in ill health for a number of years.
Taylor’s luminous screen presence, allied to a colourful private life, made her a mainstay of US popular culture for more than 50 years. She won her first best actress Oscar for playing the self-styled “slut of the world” in 1960s Butterfield 8. Her second came courtesy of an electrifying turn opposite then-husband Richard Burton in the 1966 drama Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
Born in Hampstead, north London, Taylor relocated to the US in 1939 and made her screen debut as a nine-year-old in the 1942 Universal comedy There’s One Born Every Minute. She found fame as the perky child star of Lassie Come Home and National Velvet before graduating to adult roles with the 1950 comedy Father of the Bride.The following year she rustled up one of her most vibrant and vital performances in A Place in the Sun. George Stevens’s melodrama cast her as a spoiled debutante who bewitches Montgomery Clift’s ambitious social climber. According to the critic Andrew Sarris, the film’s young actors were “the most beautiful couple in the history of cinema.” Other notable roles were in Giant, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Suddenly, Last Summer and Reflections in a Golden Eye. Yet Taylor’s on-screen prowess was often upstaged by the ongoing soap-opera of her personal life. She was married eight times to seven husbands and sparked a scandal when she began an affair with the British actor Richard Burton on the set of Cleopatra.