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Category: Entertainment

  • BTS singer Suga begins military service in South Korea

    BTS singer Suga begins military service in South Korea

    Singer and performer Suga from the popular South Korean band BTS has officially begun mandatory military service from September 22.

    The singer will not be actually serving in the military, but is working as a social service agent.

    The social service branch provides an alternative offer for people who cannot complete military duty because of physical or mental health issues, and revolves around working in welfare centers, community service or post office but it is still a requirement to complete three weeks of basic military service.

    Suga gave an update to fans on Weverse, writing: “I’ll faithfully serve and come back … Please stay healthy and let’s meet all again in 2025.”

    Suga is the third member of the band to begin mandatory military duty, with Jin and J-Hope already performing active service on army bases.

    BTS announced a hiatus in 2022 in a pre-taped special with all seven members of the band, Jin, Jimin, RM, J-Hope, Suga, V, and Jungkook.

    Jimin spoke about the group’s “rough patch” as they try to “find our identity, and that’s an exhausting and long process.”
    Suga said “The hardest thing is writing lyrics… I have to talk about something that I really feel, but right now, I’m just squeezing it out because we have to satisfy people’s wants and the listeners. It’s so painful, but that’s just how this job goes.”

    Jungkook said the group was taking some time apart in order to focus on individual music: “We’re each going to take some time to have fun and experience lots of things. We promise we will return someday even more mature than we are now.”

    Since then, the group members have released individual music, with Jungkook releasing his new single ‘3D’ which featured Jack Harlow, and ‘Seven’ in 2023 which featured Latto, and went to debut at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2020, Suga had released his mixtape D-2 which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200.

  • Juggun Kazim was harassed by fans for this reason

    Juggun Kazim was harassed by fans for this reason

    Actress Juggun Kazim was a guest on Momin Saqib’s show ‘Had Kar Di’ where she criticised Pakistani audiences for turning a blind eye to toxic love stories promoting violence and sexism towards women.

    The ‘Gunah’ actress said that she had once shared a picture on her Instagram where she was kissing her husband’s cheek. The picture got her severe backlash.

    “I couldn’t understand! This was four or five years ago. I said what is everyone’s problem? That’s my husband!”

    Juggun questioned why it is appropriate to display violence on television screens but controversy ignites when romance is shown.

    Drama channels profiting off of women’s misery is often discussed by public figures, including ‘Kuch Ankahi’ writer Syed Mohammad Ahmed. In a June appearance on ‘Mazaaq Raat’, he spoke at length about television channels prioritizing viewership ratings over honest storytelling.

  • Taylor Swift sparks rumours of dating footballer Travis Kelce after she’s spotted at match

    Taylor Swift sparks rumours of dating footballer Travis Kelce after she’s spotted at match

    Looks like Taylor is no longer in her happy, free, confused and lonely era.

    Rumors were floating around that there was something going on between the ‘Anti Hero’ singer and American football player Travis Kelce, after the NFL star revealed in a podcast that he tried to give her a friendship bracelet at the Eras tour but was dissapointed when he couldn’t hand it over. The quarterback then revealed on ‘The Pat MacAfee Show’ that he had been talking with the ‘Cruel Summer’ singer and invited her to his Sunday game, and it looks like Taylor was Ready For It when she was spotted at the Chiefs games.

    The ‘Reputation’ singer was spotted chatting with the football player’s mom Donna Kelce.

    Speaking to People Magazine, a source close to the singer said she accepted the invite despite having a busy work schedule.

    “Taylor is very focused on work right now and hanging out with her girlfriends. Travis invited her to the game, and of course she said ‘yes. She just thought it was a fantastic way to spend Sunday.”

    Taylor was spotted cheering along with the rest of the fans after Travis scored a touchdown

    After the game, Taylor and Travis were spotted leaving the game together in his convertible, prompting many users to refer to Taylor’s song ‘Getaway Car’ after the pictures surfaced.

  • Female journalist shares details of sexist encounter with singer Ali Azmat

    Female journalist shares details of sexist encounter with singer Ali Azmat

    A Twitter thread is gaining momentum where social media users share their memorable interactions with celebrities. Journalist Sabahat Zakariya joined in, sharing an anecdote about witnessing sexist behavior at a Junoon concert by former lead singer Ali Azmat. Sabahat wrote that during a concert held at a college, she recalled the ‘Sayonee’ singer coming up to her and asking “Are there any pretty girls out there?”

    “Helped arrange a Junoon concert at college. Was backstage a few minutes before it started when Ai Azmat asked me, ‘Are there any pretty girls out there?’ Didn’t know what to say, so a bit flabbergasted I said, ‘Waisi hee hayn jaisi saari larkiyaan hotee hayn…jaisi mayn hoon, jaisi hoti hayn’, and left. After the concert he walks up to me and says, ‘You were right, there weren’t any pretty girls out there.’”

    Several Twitter users expressed outrage at such sexist behavior by Ali Azmat, while another user shared how the singer had behaved at a school concert.

    “At least he deigned to speak to you. My society arranged a concert for him and he drunkenly came on stage, performed his set and staggered away not even trying to speak to the organisers who were waiting for him.”

    Responding to the original thread, a transgender activist said she had witnessed celebrities like Mahira Khan, Yasir Hussain blocking a protest held for the kidnapping of an elderly Khwaja Sira person in 2020.

    “When we were protesting for the kidnapping of an elderly Khwaja Sira person outside press club back in 2020 and these celebrities including Mahira Khan Yasir Hussain and even Sheema Kirmani accompanying them showed up, started their own protest 10 metres away from us over the motorway case, something that had been protested for at the same location just two days before that , told the lemonade vendor to move his cart out of their sight for a better photo frame for their PR stunt, told us we needed to wrap up and go home because it was their turn, took away all the media attention from our protest and blasted their protest on loud speakers while we were just there barehands without any microphones or equipment. It was disgusting and they never apologized for it even after we confronted them.”

  • Shah Rukh Khan not part of Don 3 for this reason

    Shah Rukh Khan not part of Don 3 for this reason

    Indian director and actor Farhan Akhtar has talked to Variety about the reason why the iconic action franchise ‘Don’ has rebooted with Ranveer Singh and not Shah Rukh Khan, who played the role in 2006 and 2011.

    The announcement that Ranveer Singh will play the iconic villain was made in August, leaving audiences divided.

    Now, Akhtar has revealed that he and King Khan had parted mutually after they couldn’t find any common ground on how the story is supposed to go forward.

    “I’m not in the position of replacing anybody. These are things that we discussed over the years, I wanted to take a certain direction with the story, somehow we just couldn’t find common ground. We just parted mutually knowing that it’s probably for the best. So that’s where it is.”

    The son of lyricist Javed Akhtar went on to express his excitement about Ranveer playing Don, and said the actor was charged up for the project.

    “I’m really excited Ranveer’s on board. He’s so charged and so ready to go. It’s a big film, just purely from the point of view of an actor, it’s a big thing to do, and we’re really excited to have him on board. His energy is energizing us, so to speak.”

    In a lengthy post on his Instagram account, Ranveer gushed about this being a childhood dream that he was selected to perform the role of the iconic villain, previously played by Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan.

    “As a child I fell in love with the movies, and like the rest of us,” gushed the ‘Rocky and Rani ki prem kahani actor. “Watching and worshipping Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan – the two G.O.A.Ts of Hindi Cinema. I dreamed of growing up to be like them. They are the very reason I wanted to become an actor and a ‘hindi film hero’. Their impact and influence on my life cannot be overstated. They’ve shaped the person and actor that I am. Taking their legacy forward is a manifestation of my childhood dream.”

  • Programs need to stop having sexist Khalil Ur Rehman as a guest after he insults yet another Pakistani woman

    Programs need to stop having sexist Khalil Ur Rehman as a guest after he insults yet another Pakistani woman

    It’s about time that television programs and producers stopped giving screen time and importance to sexist writer Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar, because it seems like he can’t stop spewing his misogyny everywhere he goes.

    We thought the entertainment industry had felt the ‘Mere Pass Tum Ho’ screenwriter had crossed all boundaries when he abused journalist Marvi Sirmad on live television for defending the slogan ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi’, and then bashed actress Mahira Khan for criticising this horrifying display of violence. It was shocking that despite this, the screenwriter was invited back on public shows and wrote dramas for entertainment channels but like always- the industry knows the best way to capitalise and earn ratings is when women are made into punching bags.

    Now once more, we have the misfortune to bear witness to Mr Qamar’s disgusting rants towards women. The writer appeared as a guest on a show by 7 News Digital along with the winner of the Miss Pakistan 2022 competition Sana Hayat, where the pageant winner can be seen talking at length about the difficult realities Pakistani women must endure at workplaces in order to achieve success. Sana spoke about how women have to face all kinds of pressures from their families and society.

    When it was Mr Qamar’s turn to respond, he started by rudely saying that Sana might have had some bad experiences. When Sana tried to elaborate, he snapped, “Don’t interrupt me,” launching into a rant about how Sana is wrong when she says Pakistani women have it hard in the workplace. Khalil Ur Rehman said any person who gives their own personal experiences when discussing issues have poor knowledge of the world.

    Acknowledging that women are being exploited by the workplace, Qamar said men are also being exploited in some places.

    “For example in the private sector if a woman is determined that she will find work based on her merit then she will find work on that basis. But then they use other ways to find work, through which men lose their right to work.”

    “If women want equality,” the screen writer further drawled. “Then they should give up on the 33% quota they are offered and make everything on merit.”

    It’s shocking that in 2023, Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar is being invited on shows to dismantle and mansplain the very issues that women in Pakistan actively suffer from. Why is it necessary to get his opinion, a man, on the issues that women are dealing with? Even after witnessing him time and time again misbehave with actresses, make light of the growing issues of rape and violence against women in Pakistan, why do our channels constantly need to offer him a platform? On top of everything, it was disappointing to watch a female host partaking in this spectacle by humiliating her female guest this way. For her to dismantle the articulate explanation by Sana Hayat by inviting a man who is known for his misogynist rants just proves how television channels are aware that women’s misery= more money for them.

    Khalil Ur Rehman represents every toxic man in our society. His popularity that surged after the meltdown on live television is proof that what our audiences love is to watch a woman in misery. Our channels endorse his mediocre scripts that peddle the narrative that an ambitious woman is a toxic woman, and turn violence inflicted upon women into comedy relief because there’s nothing that fuels money and ratings more than capitalising on the pain and misery of other women- and Khalil Ur Rehman is nothing but a sum of everything that is wrong with Pakistani men.

    We could go on and on with the numerous examples of how brazingly unfiltered Mr Rehman continues to be when it comes to his open disregard towards women and their issues- but we’re tired of constantly writing the same think pieces over and over again. We’d honestly just ask entertainment channels to stop relying on Mr Qamar for your ratings, because we can see through your formulae. Relying on toxic narratives and gossip tabloids that turns women into scapegoats is no longer acceptable, and Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar owes Sana Hayat, and every other female public figure he’s publicly misbehaved with- an apology for his actions.

  • University of Melbourne to host academic conference on Taylor Swift

    University of Melbourne to host academic conference on Taylor Swift

    Taylor wasn’t joking around when she said ‘Well they didn’t teach you that in prep school so it’s up to me!’

    The University of Melbourne in Australia has announced that an academic conference titled ‘Swiftposium’ will be held in 2024 to discuss the global and cultural impact of the phenomenon that is Taylor Swift. The conference will be held from February 11 -13, coincidently around the same time the ‘Anti Hero’ singer’s Eras tour concert will take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

    The organisers, scholars from seven Australian and New Zealand universities, have said the academic conference will be for scholars to “engage in critical dialogue about Swift’s popularity and its profound implications for a range of issues including gender, fandom, popular culture, literature, the economy, the music industry, and more.”

    Organisers also said they will invite Taylor to make a special appearance.

    The conference’s co-founder Jennifer Beckett, a senior lecturer in media and communications at the University of Melbourne, spoke to The Guardian about the purpose behind the conference.

    “I think it’s very important to look at how celebrities or artists impact on our lives and the different facets of our life. Taylor Swift has such an outsized impact on elements of everyday life. For example, she’s been credited with drawing attention back to public transport in a post-pandemic era. A lot of the cities she’s going to – the public transport planners have been speaking out about adding extra services.”

    It’s nothing new that Taylor has become a topic of academic discourses. A string of universities across the US has recently announced a variety of courses inspired by the ‘Reputation’ singer. Arizona State University announced in August that a course titled “Psychology of Taylor Swift — Advanced Topics of Social Psychology” will be offered to students, connecting various themes from Taylor’s music like revenge, trauma, anxiety- and link it to psychology.

    READ MORE: Six universities are now offering courses on Taylor Swift

    In August 2022, University of Texas at Austin introduced ‘Literary Contests and Contexts — The Taylor Swift Songbook’, where the 12 time Grammy award winning’s music will be studied alongside masters of literature like Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare and Sylvia Plath.

  • ‘Went out for a pack of cigarettes, still waiting for him to come back’: Ushna Shah talks about her absent father

    ‘Went out for a pack of cigarettes, still waiting for him to come back’: Ushna Shah talks about her absent father

    Actress Ushna Shah responded to a thread on X, (formerly Twitter) which asked users to tell something about their fathers. The ‘Habs’ actress responded with a heartbreaking anecdote about how her father abandoned her.

    “Went to buy a pack of cigarettes when I was an infant, will be back any minute…” the actress tweeted.

    Underneath the post, users expressed sorrow but Ushna said that because of her strong mother, she grew up to be an accomplished woman.

    The actress shared a very important point yesterday about how she hoped dramas would stop turning issues like divorce into a stigma, and write scripts that encourage women to walk out of toxic marriages. She said her mother worked hard to raise Ushna on her own, which is something we also wish more Pakistani show producers would understand.

    READ MORE: ‘Divorce is not a stigma, fix the drama scripts’: Ushna Shah

    “Many scripts I work on perpetuate shame around divorce. While I can’t reshape the conventions of scriptwriting or opt for unemployment, I stand by a vision. As the child of a divorcee who hustled with three jobs to raise us, the stigma on divorced characters feels deeply personal. I’m eager to be part of a story that addresses the stigma of divorce and combats the shame of being single after, celebrating the journey to independence and joy. Convincing producers to back such a risqué script, which may face societal backlash, is very challenging.”

  • ‘Young people are difficult to work with’: Fahad Mustafa on why he’s not acting anymore

    ‘Young people are difficult to work with’: Fahad Mustafa on why he’s not acting anymore

    Actor and producer Fahad Mustafa was a guest on Vasay Chaudhry’s talk show ‘Gup Shab’, where he opened up about giving a break to acting.

    The ‘Mein Abdul Kadir Hoon’ actor revealed that he missed the times when he was working with big names like Vasay Chaudhry, Humayun Saeed and Mahira Khan, and said it was difficult to work with young actors of today.

    “I worked with Vasay, Humayun, Mehwish, Mahira Khan, who are all stars now. It’s easy to work with them and there is a reason why they’re all stars because I feel that it’s incredibly easy to work with them. Currently looking at the young actors of today, it’s hard to work with them. I’m not criticising their talent, just pointing out regarding getting along on set.”

    “Because we had not witnessed any vanity on sets,” the ‘Actor in Law’ actor added. “We could all sit in a room and get along. When it gets incredibly hard to sit together in a room during set, then you can’t work together either. This is my biggest fear.”

  • Pakistani fans can finally get a chance to watch ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani’

    Pakistani fans can finally get a chance to watch ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani’

    Great news for Pakistani Bollywood fans who bemoaned missing out on the excitement surrounding the release of Karan Johar’s much-lauded romantic comedy ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani’, because there is finally a chance for them to watch the Alia Bhatt starrer on their screens. The Ranveer Singh-Alia Bhatt film is finally out on the streaming platform Amazon Prime with a special twist: it will feature a full-screen version of the song ‘Kudmayi’.

    Director Karan Johar announced the release of the film on his Instagram account.

    The romantic comedy stars Singh as a West Delhi playboy and Alia Bhatt as the headstrong feminist journalist, who cross paths after both realise there was a special connection between their grandparents. The film also stars veteran actors Jaya Bachchan, Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi.

    The film was hailed by audience members and film critics for the strong feminist message, as well as the performances by both Ranveer and Alia, with many saying this was Karan Johar’s comeback film. The film grossed more than $23 million in India and a further $21 million overseas, making it the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.