Posts Tagged ‘Zehra Ali’

By Zehra Ali

Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz has been suspended for six months after it was ruled that he disrupted an anti-doping test ahead of the World Cup. The country’s Sports Institute said an inquiry found that Queiroz insulted an anti-doping team and that his aggressive manner upset their work. The Portuguese Football Federation had already suspended Queiroz for one month for misconduct at the incident in May.

Neither the federation nor Queiroz, 57, have yet to comment on the ruling

By Zehra Ali

Given the wobbly state of media in the digital age, it is easy to forget that news is not always about profits and scandals. But for survivors of Pakistan’s massive floods, the day’s news can be the difference between life and death. That is exactly where BBC is innovating and adapting by airing radio “lifeline programming” in both Pashto and Urdu to about 60 and 80 million people.

The emphasis is on the need to deliver information, as aid itself. In which case, the BBC World Service Trust is the aid agency. By delivering information, they wish to target the masses within Pakistan who might have been harrowed by false pictures or beliefs as people do have the right to know and be aware of their own country’s conditions.

By Zehra Ali

Natalie Portman is earning early raves and Oscar buzz for her role as an unhinged ballerina in the upcoming psycho-drama “Black Swan”. The 29-year-old actress fully immersed herself in the part, which required hours upon hours of extreme training. Portman, who studied dance at the age of 13, got a jump on her preparation for the film.

“Physically, I trained starting a year ahead of time and then the six months prior to the film, went into a sort of hyper training. That’s when I was doing five hours a day of both ballet and cross training with swimming.” she told reporters at a press conference at the Venice Film Festival, where “Black Swan” debuted to glowing reviews Wednesday night.

Official Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaI1XOB-bs

By Zehra Ali

This season’s Premier League curtain raiser saw Manchester United defeat Chelsea 3-1, courtesy of goals from Valencia, Hernandez, and Berbatov.

Manchester United’s first victory over Chelsea since the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti gave United their 18th Community Shield victory and hinted at another exciting Premier League season.

So, what have we learned from this season’s Community Shield?

1-Paul Scholes’ performance at centre-midfield demonstrated just how good he still is, even at the age of 35. His passing was excellent. He distributed the ball magnificently, and some of his cross-field passes caught Ashley Cole badly out of position

2-Wayne Rooney appears to have shrugged off the disappointment of his disastrous World Cup. This certainly wasn’t the same Wayne Rooney as the one seen in South Africa. He didn’t score in his 45 minute run-out, but he showed once again that he has more to offer than goals.

3-From the reactions of both the Chelsea and the United players, the Community Shield isn’t overly important to either side. Ryan Giggs was quick to deny that their victory gave them any real advantage, an opinion backed up by United’s tepid lap of honour.

4-There were certainly no tears as the Chelsea players looked disappointed but not distraught. Chelsea didn’t really look ready for the new season which begins in just a week.Chelsea haven’t had a good preseason and have lost their last four matches. While not too much should be read into a poor preseason, it does create a negative atmosphere and certainly does nothing to help your chances come the main season.

5-Ashley Cole endured a torrid afternoon at left-back. He was frequently exposed by Paul Scholes’ passes and was easily drawn out of position, meaning he was to blame for United’s first two goals as players got in behind him with ease. A rash tackle on Valencia was followed with some verbal abuse as Cole took out his frustration on a player who had regularly shown him up, not something one of the World’s best left-backs is used to.

By Zehra Ali

Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom have secretly wed!

Still no word on when or where they tied the knot, but in a statement released Thursday, Kerr, 31, announced that she has canceled an appearance at the Australian department store David Jones to celebrate.

“David Jones very graciously released me during this period so we could celebrate an intimate ceremony and honeymoon together,” she said. “I’m very much a part of the David Jones Family and I am very committed to my role. I am enormously grateful to David Jones to have been given this time to enjoy such a special moment in my life.”

Kerr and Bloom, 33 — who been dating for nearly three years –- announced their engagement in June. Kerr is best known to be a Victoria’s Secret model while Orlando Bloom has been working on the immensely popular movie franchise Pirates of the Caribbean.

No matter what the reason may be though of this union taking place, we think boys and gals everywhere will collectively agree when we say that we are not yet ready to let go of yet another sexy lot to the horrors (or wonders) of marriage.

By Zehra Ali

It was a night all boys only dream to experience in perfect splendor. It was a night worth reliving; one worth cherishing. That’s right, you guessed it: It was the night of the Fifa World Cup Final 2010. It is with the purest passion for sports that all Lahoris, men, women and children alike, scattered across the city in search of the perfect destinations from which to gain the best World Cup Final experience possible. Here at Ink, we were invited to perhaps the most exclusive of the exclusive events hosted by none other than Jbnjaws at Uptown L.A.

It can be rightfully stated that the event was definitely not what everyone present had expected. At an event which very boldly stated “no stags allowed!”, there were most certainly stags in all shapes and sizes (as well as ages) present. From boys clad in either Spain or Netherland jerseys and flags, to girls and families, (usually consisting of five or more members) we saw it all. Some couples sitting in the farthest corner from all these “non-hip” attendees were mortified to have followed instructions at all. We here at Ink however, are never quick to judge, therefore, we gave one of the organizers a chance to clear out this slight miscalculation.

Q-The event was supposed to be a couples’ only event. Why was this rule not paid much attention to at the said event?

Ans- Football as a sport is now growing in viewership and following in Pakistan. Since it is neither our national game nor do we have any representation, there is a limited fan following. Hence, our objective of writing couples only was to discourage single male entry, as chances of riots become more and they then cause problems for couples and families. Also remember that the right side of the hall was mostly occupied by couples and families, while the lounges were for couples only. So our purpose of attracting a good crowd and balancing the ratio was fulfilled.

Q-The posters stated that a strict guest list would be kept to ensure the perfect crowd. Why was the checking not as strict as it usually is as compared to all the other events hosted by Jbnjaws?

Ans-I would beg to disagree here. Since the guest list was followed very strictly. Bear in mind that we did not encounter a single incident of an unpleasant nature. There were around 550 people out of which around a 100 people were sent back as we did not have their names on the guest list. I think security was given a lot of preference and that is the reason that we invited guests mostly based on references. No mass mode of marketing was used to publicize the event, except facebook.

It is important to note here that in all our events we do deploy security and have a proper management team but we cannot stop people from coming to the event. We can only stop them from entering if they do not have a pass or if there name is not on the guest list. There is a certain discipline that we as people should have and by pushing at the gate, or coming without any pass that discipline is most definitely violated.

Before the management team at Jbnjaws begins to point fingers and name names as to who might have been the culprit to providing this cleverly articulated statement; let us make it easier for you and unravel the mystery ourselves. The answers to these questions have been provided by Sarfraz Niazi, one of the mastermind directors behind Jbnjaws. Hence, follows our third and final question:

Q-Are you actively working with Jbnjaws at the moment or have you currently moved on to managing celebrities such as Ali Zafar?

Ans-Both myself and Jb are the only two directors for jbnjaws productions and are actively involved in managing it. We recently started our creative ad and design agency called “gray matter” and the only events that this agency will handle will be managed under jbnjaws productions. Our commercial activities have surely been reduced due the security issues and the unstable conditions in the country however we have been doing some great corporate work. The World Cup final together with a concert was a limited commercial activity and InshAllah we are coming up with more events soon!

Yes I am managing Ali Zafar and the experience has been great so far. Besides that, I am working as a brand manager for Radio1FM91, News1 and TV One.  I have been a part of one of the largest and most popular ad agencies and I have learnt that art of multi tasking from there. At times it is difficult to do justice to all four, but that is quite seldom. I feel that it is always fun to keep yourself busy with the work that is your passion!

There you have it folks. Be sure to keep an eye out for more of the upcoming events and if there is one you just so happen to miss, Ink will be your eyes and ears.

The DJ could not have been more DJ-like and the atmosphere created was more than enough to imply the anticipation that everyone present was experiencing. A few free drinks here, and a tweaked up air-conditioning there – a few more of those projection screens strategically placed and Voila! Jbnjaws could have earned themselves a prize-winning event. It’s all in the details really. Though, can’t we say the same about the number of yellow cards given out to the Netherland players? The match was nothing short of a nail-biter and I think we all agree when I say that it will be pain-stakingly hard to have to wait for another four years to experience the wonders of the Word Cup again.

By Zehra Ali

Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem have wed, her rep announces. The two tied the knot in a small ceremony, attended only by close family members, earlier this month at a friend’s house in the Bahamas.

Cruz, 36, wore a Dior Haute Couture gown designed especially for the event by John Galliano.

She and Bardem, 41, have been romantically linked since they starred in “Vicky Christina Barcelona” alongside Scarlett Johannson in 2008.

By Zehra Ali

Ali Zafar is currently in India to promote ‘Tere bin Laden’. He feels that the movie will be a way of opening communication channels between India and Pakistan.

The talented actor revealed that he plays the character of a Pakistani reporter (Ali Hasan) who works for a low- budget channel named Danka TV and is assigned to cover a roosters’ crow competition. It is there that Ali finds an Osama bin Laden look-alike and then begins an action packed journey whereby Ali makes fakes videos, sells them to news channels and makes money. However in all this, the White House also gets involved which in turn twists around the story, making it all the more exciting.

Ali Zafar went for a low-budget “pro-Pakistan” movie because he feels that its concept is all that truly matters. If the trailer is any indication, this light hearted comedy is sure to boost his acting points across the Pakistani border.

Official Trailer:

By Zehra Ali

Supposedly secret weddings are all the rage in Hollywood at the moment.
For starters; Grammy-winning country singer Carrie Underwood has married NHL player Mike Fisher at a resort in Georgia.

The wedding took place Saturday at the Reynolds Plantation resort in Greensboro, Ga.

Underwood, 27, rose to fame after winning the fourth season of “American Idol.” Fisher, 30, is a forward for the Ottawa Senators.

Round about the same time somewhere in Villa D’este in Como, Italy, another happy couple consisting of actress Emily blunt and “The Office’s” John Krasinski tied the knot.

The private ceremony was held outdoors with actors such as George Clooney in attendance to witness the happy couple exchange marriage vows.

Just another day at the wedding alter really.

By Zehra Ali

The 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards will be presented August 29^th 2010 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, hosted by Jimmy Fallon.

In a fantastical turn of events, Fox’s latest show “Glee,” a musical comedy about a group of high school outcasts, earned a staggering 19 nominations for this year’s Emmys. Other new series which were recognized by the Emmy association include “Modern Family,” which earned 14 nominations and “Nurse Jackie”. Two repeat nominees this year include “The Office” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. These shows are however, going to have to pry the award out of Alec Baldwin’s fingers. “30 Rock” has been winning in this category for the past three years.

Challenging “Lost” (receiving 7 nominations) and “The Good Wife” in the best drama series category are the freshman HBO series “True Blood”. The previously nominated “Breaking Bad” and “Dexter” are up against the winner for the two prior years, “Mad Men.”

Three other departing network dramas, “24,” “Law & Order” and “Heroes,” were surprisingly shut out of the major award categories.

Some of the nominees in the top categories:

Comedy series:

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Modern Family

Glee

Nurse Jackie
The Office
30 Rock

Drama series:
Breaking Bad

Dexter

The Good Wife

Lost

Mad Men
True Blood

Outstanding Actor In A Comedy Series
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Steve Carell, The Office
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Matthew Morrison, Glee

Outstanding Actress In A Comedy Series
Lea Michele, Glee
Julia Louis Dreyfuss, New Adventures of Old Christine
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Toni Collette, The United States of Tara

Outstanding Actor In A Drama Series
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Hugh Laurie, House
Matthew Fox, Lost (his first Emmy nomination)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Outstanding Actress In A Drama Series
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Glenn Close, Damages
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
January Jones, Mad Men

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Chris Colfer, Glee
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Jon Cryer, Two And A Half Men

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Martin Short, Damages
Terry O’Quinn, Lost
Michael Emerson, Lost
John Slattery, Mad Men
Andre Braugher, Men Of A Certain Age

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Jane Lynch, Glee
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Holland Taylor, Two And A Half Men

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Sharon Gless, “Burn Notice”
Rose Byrne, “Damages”
Archie Panjabi, “The Good Wife”
Christine Baranski, “The Good Wife”
Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men”
Elisabeth Moss, “Mad Men”

Reality Competition program:
American Idol
Amazing Race
Dancing With The Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series:
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Saturday Night Live
Real Time With Bill Maher
Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien