Pakistan Not Ready For World Cup, Shahid Afridi

Pakistan’s limited over captain Shahid Afridi said that Pakistan is not fully prepared for world cup and he is not fully satisfied with preparations. Afridi said that spot fixing scandal and discipline problems hurt Pakistan team a lot. He was talking to local media in a function and said that he is not satisfied with the team from which so many experience players are dropped.

Captain Shahid Afridi commented this right after a day when manager Intakhab Alam said that Pakistan has bright chances of winning the world cup. He also showed his disappointment on not picking Kamran and Malik. He added that PCB should clarify the reason of not picking these two batsmen.

Shahid Afridi said that both batsmen performed well in domestic and they should be in the team for the last tour before the world cup. Pakistan team is going to New Zealand on their last tour before world cup and they will play three T-20, two test and 6 ODI matches.

World cup is starting fro 19th February and Pakistan is placed with Australia, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Canada, New Zealand and Zimbabwe in group A. Shahid Afridi looked to have lost hope before the world cup. Surly going to mega event without big names is a real concern.

Shakib Al Hasan Showed Unhappiness On Captaincy

After losing first ODI by 9 runs Bangladeshi captain Shakib Al Hasan expressed that he don’t want to be a captain for Bangladesh team and captaincy was thrown on him. He is asked to play as captain for the team after he performed well against New Zealand team. He also said that he was not given free hand in team selection.

Shakib Al Hasan said that he is not satisfied with his job and also not willing to perform as captain. He added that he has some issues and will discuss it later. He added that he is performing with his full capacity and trying to give his 100%.

In the first ODI Bangladesh lost the match against Zimbabwe by 9 runs and it was the sad moment for the captain as they lost the match after such a close contest.

Bangladeshi captain showing his disappointment on losing the match and said that the contest was close but Bangladesh batting was not up to the mark and that’s the main reason behind the defeat. He added that batting the worry issue for the team and it can cost them more defeats. He stressed that batting line should perform and show some confidence.

Amir Showingn Confidence to Get Clean Chit

Pakistani fast bowler Muhammad Amir said that his hands are clear and he was not included in any kind of match fixing or spot fixing ever in his life. He was also alleged for having illegal money and purchases so much expensive house in Lahore, Pakistan. Amir told that he earns the money to get house purchase and it was all legal.

He added that PCB paid them handsome amount for test matches and for limited over matches and the house was out of that saving. Amir also told that the house cost him 1.2 million and media declared it on high cost. He looked confident while talking. Talking about No Ball he said that every bowler can bowl No ball and it is natural thing but to blame any one for bowling it deliberately is wrong.

All three Pakistani players showed their disappointment on revocation of their central contract but PCB and they said that they will get it back after proving themselves innocent in ICC hearing. Muhammad Asif said that they have applied to ICC for the dates of final hearing and now its up to them when they announced dates. He also said that ICC is the top rank body and it knows better when to announce final date.

Kallis, Tsotsobe lead South Africa win over Pakistan

ABU DHABI: Paceman Lonwabo Tsotsobe took four wickets and Jacques Kallis hit an unbeaten fifty to help a disciplined South Africa down Pakistan by eight wickets in the first one-day match here on Friday.

Tsotsobe took a career-best 4-27 off his ten tight overs to trigger a middle-order collapse and helped South Africa dismiss Pakistan for 203 before Kallis (66 retired hurt) saw off the target with 9.3 overs to spare.

The modest target was never beyond South Africa’s reach after Pakistan batsmen once again failed to take advantage of a good start on a flat Abu Dhabi Stadium, much to the disappointment of a 10,000 holiday crowd.

The 35-year-old Kallis, back after missing the limited over series against Zimbabwe at home and South Africa’s 2-0 win in the Twenty20 series which finished here on Wednesday due to injury, was at his usual best.

He steadied the

Mahie Gill’s item number edited out from Knock Out

The much talked-about item song in Mani Shankar’s Knock Out has been knocked out of film just days before its release.

Touted as the next ‘Munni Badnaam’ in the charts, the number was shot recently by the film’s producers and apparently without the director’s consent. On hearing about the embellishment director Mani Shankar was horrified.

Says a source, “Mani immediately got in touch with his producer Sohail Maklai asking why material was added to the film without his consent. Sohail tried to explain to him that it was to enhance the massy element. Mani had no choice but to allow the song to be shot. But when he incorporated it into the film he immediately felt it was not working. He removed the song just days before the prints went out.”

Apparently, the producers had decided to do all the promotional footage on their own without the director’s active participation. Says the source, “Mani was opposed to cutting the promos highlighting shots that resembled Phone Booth. If the producers had listened to him the trouble with 20th Century Fox over plagiarism allegations could’ve been avoided since Knock Out has nothing to do with Phone Booth.”

This time Mani Shankar stood his ground. He would not allow the item song into his narrative especially since the director apparently found the movements given to Mahie to be vulgar.

When contacted Mani admits he opposed the inclusion of the song and removed it from his film. “My film is a political thriller that moves in real time. A break for an item song was just not needed. We removed Mahie Gill’s number after shooting it. As for whether I approved of her movements, that question has no relevance since the number is no longer in my film.”

Mahie Gill appears surprised to know that her number has been knocked out of Knock Out.

Trying to hide her disappointment the actress says, “Nobody has informed me! Has my number really been edited out? Maybe after shooting it they realized it didn’t jell with the narrative. I had fun shooting the number with Ganesh Acharya. Now I’ve shot an item song for Vinay Shukla’s Mirchi with the legendary choreographer Saroj Khan.”

Hopefully, Mahie’s item number in Mirchi would have a better fate.

Netherlands storm into World Cup final

CAPE TOWN: The Netherlands stormed into their first World Cup final since 1978 on Tuesday, beating Uruguay 3-2 to set up a title clash against either Germany or Spain.

Two goals inside three second-half minutes, from Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben, steered the Dutch into the decider and shattered South American hopes.

Veteran Dutch captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst gave his side the lead on 18 minutes with a stunning 35-yard strike before Diego Forlan produced an equally memorable goal four minutes before half-time to keep Uruguay alive.

Maxi Pereira got one back for Uruguay in injury time but it was too little too late.

The last time Holland made it to the final was 32 years ago when they fell at the last hurdle to hosts Argentina 3-1 after extra-time.

Despite losing, Uruguay did their small nation proud with coach Oscar Tabarez guiding them to their first semi-final in 40 years.

It was a massive achievement for a country with a population of just 3.4 million, and they must now put their disappointment behind them for a third-place play-off on Saturday.

The Netherlands came into the match as overwhelming favourites after winning all their games in South Africa to go with the eight wins out of eight notched up in qualifying.

Both teams were forced to make changes with players suspended and in chilly conditions at Green Point Stadium it was the Dutch who adapted the best.

They had a decent chance as early as the third minute when Robben whipped in a teasing cross which Fernando Muslera punched straight to Dirk Kuyt on the edge of the box, but the Liverpool winger skied his shot.

The dangerous pair created another opportunity soon after when Kuyt sent in a cross that the Bayern Munich star headed at the keeper.

With the pressure on, it was only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken and it was their hugely experienced captain who did it with a contender for goal of the tournament.

The 35-year-old van Bronckhorst picked up the ball some 35 yards out and let rip with a stunning drive that tore into the top corner of the net past the outstretched fingertips of Muslera.

It should have been 2-0 on the half-hour when Arsenal”s Robin Van Persie made an excellent turn to pick out Robben on the edge of the box, but Martin Caceres made a timely intervention.

Uruguay were struggling to create openings before Forlan produced his own piece of magic with a left-foot screamer that swerved past keeper Maarten Stekelenburg, who should have done better.

Holland looked to up the tempo in the second half but it was Uruguay who nearly took the lead when Khalid Boulahrouz”s back-pass fell short and Edinson Cavani challenged the keeper.

Stekelenburg”s clearance hit Cavani and he teed up Alvaro Pereira, but his floated effort was headed away from danger.

The match was finely poised with both sides creating chances but it was Sneijder who did the damage with his fifth goal of the tournament.

The Inter Milan star unleashed a low right foot drive that took a deflection to put his team in front on 70 minutes.

Uruguay were stunned and Robben took advantage of their guard being dropped with another goal three minutes later with a fabulous header from a Kuyt cross.

The South Americans threw everything they had at Holland as the clock ticked down and got their reward with Pereira”s goal in the second minute of injury time but by then the match was over.

Wishing R. Madhavan a very happy Birthday

He is what one would call as a Perfect example of Simple Living. He maybe a south Indian by religion, but, deep down in his heart and art, he is a true blue Bollywood babu! We are indeed talking about today’s birthday boy R. Madhavan.

Having started off his carrier with the TV, he went onto do some of the most memorable films, both in Bollywood as well as down south. It is his ‘boy-next-door’ image that has made him the superstar of the southern film industry. In Hindi, one will always recall Maddy’s films like Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein, Rang De Basanti, Guru, 13 B… to name a few!

Friends, please join Bollywood Hungama as we wish this Boy-Wonder named R. Madhavan a very happy birthday, by posting your wishes below:

All is well – Percept to release Emraan’s Raftaar 24X7 in September

The situation isn’t really as bad it seemed. Though there were speculations galore around the delay in release of Raftaar 24X7, the fact is that Percept Pictures is pretty much focused on getting the film into theatres in quick time. Come September and this dramatic thriller with media as a central element would be hitting the screens.

As per the production house, the film is ready with the exception of one song which would be shot this month. The film’s release is planned after Once Upon A Time in Mumbai, another Emraan Hashmi starrer, which is all set for 30th July release.

Till a few days back there was uncertainty around the arrival of the film. There were doubts if the film would see the light of the day since it was announced quite some time, completed in quick time but not quite followed by any concrete announcements around the release plans. However, as things stand today, Percept Pictures continues to be excited about the prospects of this Emraan Hashmi, Neha Dhupia, Aditya Pancholi and Sagarika Ghatge starrer.

Says Sanjay V. Ahire, COO, Percept Pictures, “After a year full of crisis for the entire industry wherein many projects got stuck because of economic and other reasons, Percept Pictures has successfully managed to release three films in the last six months – Jail, Raat Gayi Baat Gayi & Bumm Bumm Bole. This will now be followed by Mallika and 24X7 Raftaar. Percept Pictures plans to release a total of nine films by December 2010. Our acquisition division is looking at Hindi and Marathi movies as well.”

This is not all as John Abraham starrer Aashayein is also pretty much in the pipeline. Says an official from Percept Pictures, “That’s right; the film will release in July-August 2010. It is with Big Pictures and they are working on the publicity and distribution of the same.”

With the confirmation coming from the horse’s mouth, all doubts are laid to rest w.r.t. release plans of Raftaar 24X7. The announcement also gives Emraan Hashmi some food for thought. With Once Upon A Time in Mumbai confirmed for 30th July, Bhatts announcing the release date of Emraan’s Crook: It’s Good To Be Bad on 24th September and Percept Pictures too looking at late September as the arrival of Raftaar 24X7, the actor could well be enjoying three releases in a matter of 2 months!

John might be seen in cop uniform with moustache in Kaakha Kaakha remake

Playing a cop for the first time in his career in the Hindi remake of Kaakha Kaakha, John Abraham isn’t taking any chances.
He wants to get the spoken language, body language, personality and tone just right. For this, John has not only been re-structuring his metabolism and changing his food and exercise habits and watching as many cop films from Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry to Om Puri in Ardh Satya to Amitabh Bachchan in Zanjeer repeatedly, he has also been socializing with cops trying to understand how their minds and bodies move.
Most importantly, John has been chatting with the Tamil superstar Suriya who played the lead in Kaakha Kaakha.
By sheer coincidence John and Suriya are neighbours in Mumbai. Suriya’s wife actress Jyothika owns a flat next to John’s residence. And whenever Suriya is in Mumbai, he stays a stone’s throw away from John.
The two have been bonding big time with absolutely no feeling of ill will or rivalry about the fact that John is doing a role Suriya has already owned and patented in Tamil.
This is the first time that the hero in a Hindi remake has taken the original into confidence. From Vinod Khanna in Dayaavan, the Hindi version of Mani Ratnam’s Nayakan where Kamal Haasan starred, to Salman Khan in Wanted, the Hindi remake of the Telugu Pokhiri which starred Mahesh Babu, no leading man has bothered to collaborate with the original hero.
Says John, “Suriya is a great guy and a buddy. Yes we’ve been bonding about Kaakha Kaakha. I’ve always dreamt of playing a cop. I’ve watched Mr. Bachchan in Zanjeer so many times I’ve lost count. One of the main reasons I wanted to do the Hindi version of Kaakha Kaakha was to get into a cop’s uniform. To my disappointment my director Nishikant Kamat decided to do away with the uniform in my film.”
So disappointed was John that he tried to argue with his director. “In this matter I am like a child. If I’m playing a cop, I want to wear the cop’s uniform and feel like a cop.” So adamant is John to get the uniform back that the script is now being re-worked again.
The moustache which Suriya sported in Kaakha Kaakha may also stay after all. Says John, “I think Suriya looked pretty cool as a cop, mouche and all. I don’t know how I look with a moustache. If the people whose opinion I value like me in it, it stays.”
Bipasha Basu apparently loves John with a moustache. And that factor has tilted the scales in the moustache’s favour.

BBC apologises for Queen death joke

The BBC has apologised after a radio presenter said the Queen had died. Danny Kelly who works for BBC WM in the West Midlands, played the national anthem as he made the joke during his Birmingham-based afternoon show.
A BBC spokesman said it had been a reference to an item on one of his internet pages. Kelly will not present his show for the remainder of the week and a formal apology was made at the start of Tuesday’s show at 1400 BST. A BBC spokesman said presenter Mollie Green would take over the afternoon show until next Tuesday.
The apology on BBC WM at the start of the programme said: Yesterday afternoon Danny Kelly made an inappropriate remark about the Queen during his radio show here on BBC WM.
The BBC apologises unreservedly for it. BBC WM takes these comments very seriously and due action has been taken.
Earlier, a spokesman said the comment had been made during a light-hearted piece about social media friends and that it had been corrected on-air immediately after it was made.

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