Pak girls bitten by bellybutton-piercing bug  (Go To Top)

     Lahore: Life styles seem to be changing fast in Pakistan, particularly among the youth, with not only the burqa- clad women seen on streets these days, but young girls hooked onto the latest fashion trends, including getting their bellybuttons pierced. And, the boys are not lagging behind either, going by their preference for eyebrow rings and large tattoos on their arms and necks. Tattoo shops in Lahore are doing brisk business, with every shopkeeper on an average doing four tattoos and about ten piercing every day, and having more female clients than male. Naveed Ahmed, the owner of shops X-Tra 1 and 2 in Defence and Cavalry Ground, said that he charged Rs 2500 per square inch for small tattoos and Rs 700 per square inch for tattoos larger than 10 inches. According to him, belly button piercing was fashionable among girls while boys preferred eyebrow rings.

    Tattoo parlours and piercing studios are almost mushrooming in Lahore. According to a tattoo artist, college going boys and girls between the age group of 14 and 28 get maps, dragons, images, reptiles, alphabets, comic heroes and flowers tattooed on different parts of their bodies. Naveed said that he had tattooed 900 people so far, but body piercing was more popular. He said he had pierced more than 8,000 bellies, ears, noses, nipples, eyebrows, lips, chins and private parts, and was making four tattoos and doing about 10 piercing every day. Getting a tattoo is not cheap, but it is more expensive, ironically, to get rid of one, the Daily Times quoted him as saying. But, the latest fashion trends among the Pakistan youth is not going down well with their parents, with them not being ready to accept the new "cultural variation". One student with tattoos on both his arms said that his parents thought that the tattoos looked like he had been burnt and his mistreated wounds had turned black, said the paper. Going around with tattoos on your neck or elbow is not easy, said Hamza, a graphic design student. He said people stared at him for as long as they could see him. "It is hard and fun at the same time," he said, recalling a person who came running to him and said there was a bug on his neck and was embarrassed to know it was a tattoo. An NCA student with a pierced eyebrow and wearing an arrow sign, said he had to face stern disapproval from his parents, who said it looked like "constant dirt" had stuck on his arm. "It's a free world and I will do what I want," he said adding "Getting a piercing or a tattoo is not a crime."

Daniel Craig is the perfect Bond for Sienna Miller (Go To Top)

     Washington: It seems Sienna Miller, who reportedly had a brief fling with Daniel Craig during her on-off relationship with Jude Law, still has a soft croner for the next 007. The British actress has openly supported Criag's selection as the next spy agent, and has insisted that he would do a brilliant job as James Bond in 'Casino Royale'. "I think he'll do a brilliant job. He is very talented, raw, rugged and I think he has that edge to him," Contactmusic quoted her as saying. Meanwhile, Miller is back again with Jude Law after his furtive romance with his kids nanny, but insisted that, despite being engaged to the actor, she is not ready to walk down the aisle yet. She is presently in New York promoting her new movie based on the legendary womaniser 'Casanova', while Jude is playing dad to her two dogs, Porgy and Bess.

'Freddie' Flintoff is FHM's 'Man of the Year' (Go To Top)

     London: England's all-rounder and Ashes hero Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff has been adjudged Man of the Year for 2005 by the magazine FHM, thanks to his superb all round performance in the battle for the Ashes against Australia which made him a real cricketing hero both in and outside England. The magazine bestowed the award on Flintoff after eliciting views and opinion from at least 5000 readers. Boxer Ricky Hatton took the award for "Sportsman of the Year" and Steven Gerrard "Footballer of the Year". Reacting to the honour conferred on him, Flintoff reportedly said: "I'm very honoured to be in such esteemed company." FHM editor Ross Brown said that awards were given to those who made 2005 a cracking year. "FHM wanted to reward all those men who go beyond the call of duty and have made 2005 a cracking year. These are basically the kind of men you would love to be on nodding terms with, they're like the bunch of pals you wish you had," Fox News quoted Brown as saying.

Jolie may adopt a quake-hit kid in Pak (Go To Top)

     London: The October 8 earthquake in Pakistan left many orphaned, but one of these kids could get lucky if Angelina Jolie adopts him/her during her visit to the country. The UN goodwill ambassador and her boyfriend Brad Pitt are on a four-day visit (November 24-27) to Pakistan, where, according to pals, the actress might adopt a kid orphaned in the quake. "She may well consider bringing a child home," The Sun quoted a pal as saying. Jolie, who already has two adopted children - four-year-old Maddox from Cambodia and 10-month-old Zahara from Ethiopia - is keen to see how the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is taking care of the survivors of the disaster. Earlier this week she officially became the citizen of Cambodia - the birth place of Maddox - after receiving her passport. She was granted the citizenship of the Southeast Asian country in recognition of the environmental work she has done there.

Britney's back with her pierced bellybutton (Go To Top)

     Washington: It seems Britney Spears is all set to show of her slimmed down post-pregnancy body, as the "Baby One More Time' hitmaker got her trademark bellybutton pierced again. The TOXIC singer, who gave birth to her son Sean Preston on 12 September, recently visited Venus by Maria Tash, an upscale piercing and jewellery studio in New York City, where she treated her navel to an elaborate blue topaz and white gold adornment, costing more than 200 dollars. "I think it's part of her whole reclaiming her body thing. It's good she's re-adorning her body. She's known for being strong and cut," Tash was quoted by Contactmusic, as saying. Tash, who says that Spears is in "really good shape", added, "(she) was having fun, dancing to the music upstairs (while) her friend got pierced."

Potter girl bombarded with Bibles to save her soul (Go To Top)

     London: 'Harry Potter' star Emma Watson is reportedly bombarded with Bibles by furious Christians who believe that the magical movies are a work of evil. The screen beauty, who plays the boy wizard's best friend Hermione Granger in the series, is building up a collection of the holy books from religious viewers who think she needs "guidance". "I have a collection of about 20 in my room. People think I need to be guided," the actress was quoted by Femalefirst, as saying. Watson alone has not been targeted by church bodies, but The Harry Potter books too have been in the firing line of many religious groups, who claim that wizardry and witchcraft are anti-Christian, and encourage children to to run away from their problems and escape the world by creating destructive and dangerous fantasies. In July this year, the Landover Baptist church in Iowa banned the Potter books and requested Christian brothers and sisters to handover a Bible to anyone seen carrying a Harry Potter book, to save their Christian souls.

Nicole Richie is the new face, or 'feet' for Jimmy Choo (Go To Top)

     London: Simple Life Star Nicole Richie may soon be able to satisfy her passion for footwear, as she has recently become the new face of 'Jimmy Choo', the hot British shoemaker. Despite rumours of her dangerous weight loss, Nicole has pleased fashion mogul, and Company's president Tamara Mellon with her style, who personally chose her to star in their new campaign with actor Shawn Hatosy. The ad will be directed by Brett Rather. " Nicole has such an incredibly sophisticated look and fabulous sense of style and I am so proud of this collaboration," Femalefirst quoted Mellon, as saying. And, it sounds like Lionel Richie's daughter is just as pleased with the new partnership. " I'm so excited to be part of the campaign. I've been a Jimmy Choo fan since I was a little girl, and it's such an honour to represent them, I feel like a princess," she said. Jimmy Choo's sexy shoes are synonymous with luxury and style, and celebrity fans of the brand include Victoria Beckham, Cameron Diaz and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Chaplin granddaughter alleges 'witch-hunt' (Go To Top)

     London: Criticising America's immigration authorities for forcing her to leave the country, Charlie Chaplin's granddaughter, Keira, has said that her situation mirrors the time when Senator Joe McCarthy carried out a 'witch-hunt' policy, that compelled her legendary grandfather to take permanent exile from the country he had lived in for more than 40 years. The Belfast-born actress moved to the US to set up a film production company in 2000, and is required to leave the country when her visa runs out next month, but she believes that her Chaplin pedigree should entitle her to stay. "I'm stuck in a bureaucratic quagmire. My grandfather was in the US for more than 40 years and was one of the richest men in America. Then, suddenly, because of the blacklist (Senator Joe McCarthy's Communist 'witch-hunt'), they started to question him and investigate and then basically wouldn't let him back into the country," Femalefirst quoted her as saying. "Now it's like the same thing is happening all over again. I have invested a lot of money in America. Things haven't changed," she added. The late actor was blocked from re-entering America after a trip to the UK to promote his 1952 film 'Limelight'.