News

Imran Lodhi, the founding member of ADP passed away last night in Canada.

The vocalist of the band Omar Bilal Akhtar released a statement saying: “I currently don’t have the words to express the shock, the grief and complete heartbreak. I did not think I would have to write a eulogy for another friend so soon.”

Please pray for his family and remember Imran in your thoughts and prayers.

Thats right! Ali Zafar became a father today. The heart-rob of millions of Pakistani’s tweeted to the world saying:

“God had blessed us with a baby boy. A little sooner than expected but the best thing ever to have happened to me. Can’t explain the feeling”

We would like to congratulate Ali and his wife Ayesha on this very happy occasion.

Leave your comments.

Mekaal Hasan Band has just announced this on their facebook fan page that:

Asad Abbas, the winner of the first season of Pakistan Sangeet Icon has been selected as the new lead singer for Mekaal Hasan Band! Catch him live on the Morning show on Express News at 8 am on 5th March with Mekaal Hasan Band.

Surprise! Our very own Faakhir Mehmood has become a father. His wife Mehreen recently gave birth to their daughter ‘Simone’ in Karachi.

Faakhir had recently posted on facebook: “Our beautiful little princess ‘Simone’, has arrived into this world. Mashallah healthy, pink & 17 inches long she has walked straight into our hearts.”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has provided match fixing proves to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) against alleged involvement of wicket keeper Kamran Akmal and medium pacer Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt on Friday made the startling revelation that ICC had provided PCB with the concrete proves of their alleged involvement in match fixing. Despite repeated questions, Ijaz Butt had refused to name the players.

On investigation, a highly placed official in PCB exclusively told Voice of America on the condition of anonymity that “the two players were wicket keeper Kamran Akmal and medium pacer Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan”.

Wicket keeper Akmal had come under heavy fire for his repeated fumbles on the Australian tour. Its worth mentioning that both players were dropped from the T-20 series against England recently played in Dubai.

When asked if the proves were so concrete, why PCB included Akmal and Rana in the initial list of 30 players for the T-20 world cup, the source said that “both will be missing from the final list for the T-20 WC.

The source further insisted that “PCB has announced an additional wicket keeper Zulqarnain Haider along side Kamran Akmal and Sarfaraz Ahmed in 30 initial players which indicates that Akmal would not feature in the final squad for T-20 WC to be played in West Indies in April.

LAHORE, Feb 20: The fashion extravaganza that gripped Lahore in the past several days came to an end with the fourth and final day of the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week.

Nomi Ansari opened the event with his collection titled ‘The Circus of Life’ and both shocked and entertained by having midgets come on the ramp dressed in elaborate circus costumes. They walked, they rolled and they performed to the tune of the popular hit ‘My Boy Lollipop’. The models that came on the ramp acted a little silly posing and having fun with the choreography on the show. His collection, a radical shift from his previous monotone collection shown at the Fashion Pakistan Week last year, was a burst of extreme multi-color outfits with an interesting construction in his dresses. Designer Hassan Shehryar Yasin walked the ramp for him in an elaborate and colourful jacket and he accompanied designer Deepak Perwani when Nomi Ansari came to do his final walk on the ramp. . The collections that did not make as big an impact as some of the others that evening included that of Rogue by Memoona Mannan, designed by her children, Sundas and Faraz Mannan. They showcased their ‘Rebel’ collection and took inspiration from ‘Spanish matadors and Jodhpur polo players’ and was decidedly western in its appearance. The celebrities who walked the ramp for them included stylist Shahzad Raza, the owner of the local brand Stone Age, Shoaib Shafi and jewelery designer Shazia Deen. . Shaiyanne Malik showed her ‘Kama’ collection on the ramp which included skirts with a lot of layering. The models were styled in large, chunky, gold jewellery and although her collection was not revolutionary by any standards, did contain one or two outfits that stood out from the rest. Hair stylist Natasha Saigol was the celebrity who walked the ramp for her. . Sobia Nazir showed a somewhat confusing collection. Her clothes did not gel together into a singular theme and seemed to be picked out very randomly. Titled ‘Sequence of Bloom’, it was anything but that. She employed the use of handkerchief hemlines, printed fabrics, followed predominant trends in an unimpressive collection. What was disappointing to see was that her use of embroidered lace to border her garments looked rushed and lacked finish. Her collection was not suitable for the ramp. . The head of the Pakistan Fashion Design Council, Sehyr Saigol, who designs under the brand of Libas, showed her vintage collection. A stop-motion video of the collection directed by designer Yousuf Bashir Qureishi preceded the showing of the collection on the ramp. It showed ethnic design in slim and flowing silhouettes and predominantly circled around shades of deep orange, red, blue and beige. . Munib Nawaz was the only menswear designer to show that evening and he displayed a collection titled ‘Kushti’ which takes its inspiration from the sport that is so popular in the local rural region. A poetry recitation inciting the audience to ‘bring out the warrior’ within preceded the showing of the collection. The models walked on the ramp and engaged in subtle displays of territorial dominance. The collection in itself was predominantly composed of western wear suits and didn’t have anything to do with the kushti sport in itself. . One of the highlights of the evening was a collection by designer Sahar Atif who designs under the label of Saai. She showed a clean cut, flowing and elegant collection with an aesthetic that reminded one of a fusion of both Sonya Battla and Ayesha Farooq Hashwani. Her outfits were white, pleated, draped, contained voluminous flow, with a hint of pale gold fabric here and there and seemed to embody an absolute femininity. The surprise of the evening was a performance by local pop duo, Strings who joined the models on the ramp. The designer got a very big round of applause from the audience at the end of her show. . Also one of the better collections shown that evening, Maria B’s interpretation of ‘Urban Rajastan’ was a treat to watch. Some of the features of her collection included long shirt lengths, drop-crotch pants and puffed sleeves. Her collection was predominantly composed of beige and teal. It was well-constructed and showed not only innovative design but clothes that were wearable as well. Designer Feeha Jamshed walked the ramp for her. Maria B later appeared with her own daughter (who carried a Pakistani flag with her) and Feeha Jamshed and all three of them paid tribute to the country by displaying a symbol of the flag on a scarf tied around their hands. . The fashion week also had its own share of awards titled the Libas Fashion Awards. Handed out by Sehyr Saigol, they included ‘The Heritage Award’ to Kamiar Rokni for his dedication to reviving the heritage of the country. The ‘Less is More’ award went to designer Sarah Shahid from the Sublime label. The ‘Designer of the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week’ went to Iman Ahmed of the Body Focus Museum who wasn’t present to receive it. The ‘New Designer’ award went to Ali Zeeshan.The ‘Best Female Model’ went to Nadya Hussain and the ‘Best Male Model’ went to Mohammad. . Hassan Shehryar Yasin ended the event in his signature grand style with an elaborate bridal collection, both men and women’s wear. It was dedicated to his grandmother, Mumtaz Jehan. The designer who is considered to have been the first to introduce fashion branding in the country wows by numbers and unique choreography and the sheer number of models who walked the ramp for him seemed to, in a way, signify the enormity of the fashion house in itself. His surprise celebrity for the evening was the Prince of Pakistani Pop, Ali Zafar who came in a glittering gold sherwani and sang a soulful single of his upcoming album. Both the designer and the singer received a huge round of applause with many members standing up for them. It was a grand end to an eventful fashion week.

Breaking News: Farhan Saeed of Jal band was found with pen gun at  Allama Iqbal international airport in Lahore, while leaving for Karachi for a concert. He mentioned that he didn’t know about it and a fan handed this over to him as a gift.

We believe that Farhan is not involved in any such activity and wish that conclusion turns out to be in his favor.

He has not been arrested and has been let go to Karachi for the concert.

The (now ex) lead vocalist of the Mekaal Hasan Band (MHB) seemed to take inspiration from the Spice Girl’s Geri Halliwell when he decided to quit his band a day after their second album’s (Saptak) official launch. What’s more is that he decided to break the news to the world — and to the band members whom he had not informed of his decision — by announcing it on a TV show on a local news network.

The singer’s departure from the band came as rather abrupt as only a day prior to the announcement he had performed with MHB on the launch of their second album, and till then everything between the singer and the band seemed fine.

The MHB band members seem only slightly bewildered at the singer’s decision and let down by him. Javed could have decided to part ways before the release of Saptak. Why wait to launch the album, a time at which the band is expected to tour and promote the album globally? Most important, why did the singer not bring his band mates into confidence before blurting it out on national TV?

Javed Bashir has enjoyed a relationship with the Mekaal Hasan Band for over six years. He also has a qawwali group on the side with whom he often performs. The Mekaal Hasan Band has previously performed with another vocalist (Ali Abbas) whenever Javed’s performance dates with his qawwali band have clashed with those of MHB’s. The band now intends to work and collaborate with a host of classical vocalists in their performances and in their third album, hoping that it would provide a wider scope for the band’s music and give it a whole new edge.

Breaking News: The wedding bells have started to ring in Lahore! As the other half of Noori band, Ali Hamza will be getting married next month! Now who is he getting married to? That is still the question..  We are very excited for Hamza and we wish him and his soon to be wife the best of luck for the future inshAllah!

Special Congrats to Ali Noor, Mandana Zaidi and Sanjana Zehra!

(You heard this news here first!!)

Leave your comments!

Tere Bin Laden’ is a tounge-in-check comedy about an ambitious young news reporter from Pakistan who is desperate to migrate to the US in pursuit of the American dream. His repeated attempts to immigrate are shot down as his visa is always rejected. But when things couldn’t look worse he comes across an Osama Bin Laden look alike, Ali then hatches a scheme to produce a fake Osama video and sell it to news channels as a breakthrough scoop! Unfortunately there are serious ramifications as the White House gets involved and dispatches a overzealous secret agent on Ali’s trial.

Releasing on 16th July 2010