October, 2009

(Karachi, 08 October 2009) L’Oréal Paris, the world’s leading beauty brand, launched in Pakistan at the Park Towers in Karachi bringing with them their tradition of celebrating beauty, cultivating technical expertise and defining glamour.

L’OREAL PARIS BRING THEIR 100 YEARS OF BEAUTY AND INNOVATION TO PAKISTAN

By Mishelle Raza

L’Oréal Paris, the world’s leading beauty brand, launches in Pakistan, and brings with it their tradition of celebrating beauty, cultivating technical expertise and defining glamour. L’Oréal Paris’ historical belief is deep-rooted in the now iconic motto: ‘Because You’re Worth It!’

This conviction came to life with an interactive five day mall animation event in Karachi and Lahore, where mall visitors were invited to experience the L’Oréal Paris beauty lifestyle. Indeed, both events were stylishly set to introduce L’Oréal to Pakistan’s beauty, fashion and consumer industries respectively. Continue

‘The Peace Issue’ will be in stores Oct. 28th 09!

By Marian Sharaf Joseph

It is an honor to be remembered by generations to come, especially when one has served in educational institutes, where children remember their beloved teachers and courteous helpers till the time they grow old. Lahore School of Arts and Sciences, on the day of its 22nd anniversary, paid tribute to its oldest and first employee, the Late Azeem Khan. It was no ordinary tribute to Azeem Khan; the evening was mesmerizing with music from the band Laal. Held at Alhamra Cultural Complex, Open Air – Qadaffi Stadium, the event was managed by none other than ‘one of the most organized event planners in town’ – Salina Rashid of Lotus Client Management and Public Relations. Continue

Get Ready! An army of music has loaded its guns to blast Lahore with music preaching freedom, writes Marian Sharaf.

For the past many years, music has played a vital role in initiating peace movements and bringing revolution; be it WWII or the Vietnam War – Flower Power being the biggest and most affective of all. No wonder someone once said, “The guitar is mightier than the sword.” Unfortunately, our country, which was born amidst political chaos of the Indian British Raj, is yet gliding in doldrums. There have always been artistes struggling for recognition, writers pleading for freedom of expression and politicians proving their loyalty in vain. Nonetheless, the entertainment industry has survived, positively making an impression every now and then. Yet, there is a lot to do; a lot more to talk about. Continue

Hey there everyone! Here’s a brief review on something special:

Chester’s (Linkin Park Vocalist) new album,  ’Dead by Sunrise’, was released yesterday (13th October 2009). It’s available for download directly from your iTunes / Amazon / Microsoft Zune Marketplace.

I personally bought the album and loved it.

The album begins with the ground breaking song “Fire”. It has a kind of alternative rock style to it. I think ‘Fire’ is performing the best, on the 2009 Single’s music chart, so far. There are some other amazing songs on the rest of the album such as “Crawl Back In”, “Inside Of Me”, and not to mention the soft rock track “Too Late”. Some other good ones are “My Suffering”, “Give Me Your Name”, and “Walking In Circles”.

The album is a shift from the typical Linkin Park rock / alternative / soul and NuRock style. I really don’t want to ruin the surprise for you, so check out the iTunes Link

We’ll be posting some more stuff on music very soon!

Stay tuned for more…

MARA PICTURES RELEASES SON OF A LION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM NOVEMBER 2009

Mara Pictures, a boutique theatrical distribution company, is releasing the first Australian-Pakistani coproduction Son of a Lion in cinemas across the United Kingdom on November 6th, 2009.

In Pakistan’s tribal weapon-making village of Darra Adam Khel, a young Pashtun boy Niaz Afridi defies his father’s expectation to carry on the family’s gun making business and demands an education instead. Son of a Lion is the feature film debut by Australian film-maker Benjamin Gilmour.

The idea behind Son of a Lion was conceived while Gilmour was working as a set nurse on ‘The Bill’ and ‘Murphy’s Law’. After being turned down by major UK media corporations to produce the film, Gilmour elaborates on his unique experience-
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(Lahore, 22 May 2009) Asim Buksh’s super luxury automotive company held an evening for the media at the high end Avari showroom to announce their new name, Buksh Motors, formerly Premium Motors, re-named to incorporate and reflect the Buksh family name and heritage.

Only nine months into his presidency, Barack Obama has earned one of the most prestigious awards in the name of peace. Addressing reporters at the White House Obama said “”I am both surprised and deeply humbled.”

After a grueling start to his presidency, Obama has had to face head on challenges such as the global recession, nuclear non-proliferation and two wars. Despite the divisions amongst nations on how to deal with ongoing conflicts, the timing of the award may pave the way for better relations and an emboldened president to achieve the goals he ambitiously pursues. However, the President admitted that he didn’t believe he deserved the award.

Obama’s message of hope and change has been popular in Europe and to some extent viewed as a positive step forward in the Middle East. In June, Obama gave a moving speech to the Muslim world in Egypt and embarked on a new chapter of co-operation and mutual respect to reset the switch after relations during the Bush era had reach an all time low.

Some however, have criticized the award as the ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to claim lives and have caused incredible hardships amongst communities in the Middle East. There is growing opposition to NATOs military presence in the region, and America, as well as its allies, face difficult challenges in the years ahead.

Time will tell if Obama’s actions and American foreign policy have made significant and positive changes to the global community, but one thing is for sure, there is a long way to go before the message of change is transformed into action.

By Iain Alexander

By Mishelle Raza

Karachi , the city of lights, is the place to be on any given occasion. Our people never give up an opportunity to get out, enjoy themselves, and show that they have a meaning to celebrate, whether it’s a concert, a carnival or even a street party.

For such people, a very happening place is Base Rock Café – a karaoke café in the friendly neighborhood of Defence, Phase 6, Karachi. This is the only bar with the widest variety of songs, be it love or tragedy, hip – hop or rock – BRC is always ready for the occasion. Setup in a basement, with spiral stairs, decorated with exposed pipes and diverse interiors, this café is dedicated to music, famous musicians and talented up-coming bands.
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