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STAR BUZZ: A lost opportunity
Haseena Moin, who has just returned from Saudi Arabia with her family, received a pleasant surprise when she arrived in Jeddah from Makkah. After performing Umra she had to catch a flight from Jeddah and had a two hour stay in the city. Unknown to her, the Pakistan community got wind of her arrival in the country and organized a lunch and get-together for her and her family. Though the notice and time was short, it turned out to be a grand affair with speeches from all around.
The Pakistani Consul General Dr Shoaib disclosed that a Saudi channel for the first time presented a serial from outside the country, which was Tanhaiyan. It was so popular with the Saudis — the Pakistanis were ecstatic of course that the channel requested the PTV authorities for more serials by the same writer. Unfortunately, the people concerned here named such a high price that the Saudis backed out. Thus an opportunity for Pakistanis to make a place in the electronic media in Saudi Arabia was lost, which the community there is not happy about.—K.H.
Another day, another furore
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Having apparently grown bored with antagonizing Catholics, Madonna is now giving offence to Jews. Some scholars of Judaism are riled by the sacred text and religious objects that appear in her violent new video, which showcases the theme song to the James Bond movie Die Another Day.The video features Madonna with Hebrew letters tattooed on her arm and tefillin — small leather cubes containing biblical verses — while she’s being electrocuted by Nazi-like goons.
The mock execution leaves three Hebrew letters on the electric chair lamed, aleph and vav part of the ’72 names of God’ taught in the kabbalah, mystical Jewish teachings studied by Madonna and her husband, director Guy Ritchie.
Ken Jacobson, associate director of the Anti-Defamation League says he doesn’t find the video “anti-Semitic,” but argues “There are some people who can be — and are — offended by using Jewish religious articles for these purposes. .”—Rush and Molloy
Hope in future
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It was as if one had entered an enchanted place; the beautiful garden and palace imposing yet friendly, with little children laughing and running about in gay abandon. The Mohatta Palace awes the first-time visitor with its regal look but the occasion that evening had a light side to it — an art competition with schools from all over Pakistan participating. The topic — how the children saw Earth in the future — seemed to unleash the imagination of the young minds aged six to sixteen. Most were optimistic, but some portrayed the ugliness that grown-ups had turned this world into, in their art work. The outstanding thing about the competition was that some of the prize winners belonged to schools in the slum areas, proving that motivation can do so much.The chief guest Salima Hashmi, the Such gup lady, who is such a delightful natural artist (painter and actress) had been invited from Lahore to give away the prizes. One saw the serious side of the lady that evening. Musharraf Hai the head of Unilever who had sponsored the programme, was so impressed by the performance of the children and optimistic attitude that she said there was still hope in the future.—K.H.
J-Lo’s family plan
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Jennifer Lopez would chuck stardom in a minute for a family. “A baby would be a blessing in my life,” says the singer. “It would absolutely be worth the sacrifice. You have the feelings and the urges and there have been a few stirrings in the past few years.”The pop diva tells London’s Sun that when she starts a family, “I will have to get married again.”
These days, the likely groom is Ben Affleck. J.Lo tells MTV News that the two bonded over music.
“He actually surprised me when we first started getting to know each other, just working together, because he would be singing hip-hop songs,” she says. “He actually turned me on to some new stuff that I never heard.”
She admits to having written a few songs on her new album This Is Me...Then with her man in mind. “I wrote a lot of songs inspired, in a way, from what I was going through at the time that this album was being made, and he was definitely a big part of that.”
Although she didn’t divulge any wedding plans, employees at the Ritz-Carlton in San Juan, Puerto Rico where the pair is rumoured to be planning a big bash, say it is “definitely happening,” reports Us Weekly.—Rush and Molloy
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