Category Archives: Culture

Pregnant Farzana Parveen Stoned To Death By Own Family In Pakistan

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A pregnant woman, Farzana Parveen, has been stoned to death by more than 20 members of her own family in front of the high court of Lahore. She was only 25 and three-months pregnant.

The group included her father and brothers. They attacked her and her husband with batons and bricks. The attack happened in broad daylight.

Hundreds of women are killed every year in honor killings but public stoning is rare.

Police investigator Rana Mujahid said the woman’s father has been arrested for murder and that police were working to apprehend all those who participated in the “heinous crime.”

Another police officer, Naseem Butt, said she was killed because she married Mohammad Iqbal against her family’s wishes.

Her father, Mohammad Azeem, had filed an abduction case against Iqbal.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a private organisation, said in a report last month that some 869 women were murdered in honour killings in 2013.

Zia Awan, a prominent lawyer and human rights activist, said: “I have not heard of any such case in which a woman was stoned to death, and the most shameful and worrying thing is that this woman was killed in front of a court.”

He said Pakistanis who commit violence against women are often acquitted or handed light sentences because of poor police work and faulty prosecutions.

“Either the family does not pursue such cases or police don’t properly investigate. As a result, the courts either award light sentences to the attackers, or they are acquitted,”

Her husband survived the attack. Iqbal, 45, said he started seeing Parveen after the death of his first wife, with whom he had five children.

“We were in love,” he told The Associated Press. He alleged that the woman’s family wanted to fleece money from him before marrying her off. “I simply took her to court and registered a marriage,”

Parveen’s father called the murder an “honor killing” and surrendered after.

“I killed my daughter as she had insulted all of our family by marrying a man without our consent, and I have no regret over it,” Mujahid, the police investigator, quoted the father as saying.

Sydney’s Monks of Mellonwah Touring U.S.A

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Monks of Mellonwah are touring the U.S.A for the third time.

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Full tour dates are:

Passport Approved (A&R Worldwide Tour, Monks of Mellonwah headlining with guests Lime Cordiale, Hamish Anderson & Giorgi + Leo )
June 6th – Last Exit Live, Phoenix, 9PM
June 9th – Viper Room, West Hollywood, 8 PM
June 10th – The Standard, Fresno, 8 PM
June 11th – The Atrium @ The Catalyst, Santa Cruz, CA , 9 PM
June 12th – The Boardwalk, Orangevale, CA, 8PM
June 13th – Doug Fir, Portland, OR, 8 PM
June 14th – Bodega Nightclub, Reno, NV, 8 PM
June 17th – Crocodile, Seattle, WA, 8 PM

w/Scott Stapp
June 20th – Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA
June 21st – The Emporium, Patchogue, NY
June 24th – Latitude Live, Pittsburgh, PA
June 25th – The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY
June 28th – The Machine Shop, Flint, MI
June 29th – Buster’s Billiards & Backroom, Lexington, KY
July 1st – Gillioz Theatre, Springfield, MO
July 2nd – Neumeier’s Rib Room & Beer Garden, Fort Smith, AR

Band: Monks of Mellonwah (Sydney, NSW)
Style: Alternative, Indie, Progressive, Electronic, Pop
Similar to: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Muse, John Frusciante, Incubus, Black Keys
Release: Turn the People (March 7, 2014)
Label: Gatcombe Music Pty Ltd
Members: Vikram Kaushik (vocals), Joe de la Hoyde (backing  vocals/guitar), John de la Hoyde (bass), Josh Baissari (drums)

Bio:
The Monks of Mellonwah are a band from Sydney, Australia whose music displays a masterful and unique blend of intense space, driving riffs and sharp metaphors.

The Monks of Mellonwah consist of; lead vocalist Vikram Kaushik,  guitarist Joseph de la Hoyde, as well as drummer Joshua Baissari and  bassist John de la Hoyde. The creative collision of these four musical  personalities yields a timeless, yet inimitable array of alternative rock, progressive rock and cinematic-themed scores.

Together for only a little over four years, the Monks of Mellonwah  have catapulted quickly into success on a global scale. In addition to  worldwide airplay, the band has gleaned over four-hundred press reviews – as well as syncs and licensing – from the likes of  Bunim/Murray Productions, MTV Networks, Discovery Channel, and FOX  Sports. In addition, the band has already toured the U.S.A, Singapore  and Australia. “M.O.M” were voted “Best Indie Rock Band” in the 2012  Artists in Music Awards and placed as the “International Rock Artist  of the Year” at the 22nd Annual LA Music Awards in 2012.

The Monks of Mellonwah stand more as a quadrangle than a quartet, with  each facet reflecting their cumulative creative goal; to deliver  all-original music in its purest, untainted form. Stylistically, the  band has evolved dramatically over a short period of time, impossible  to be boxed into any genre. There’s a variety of subtle hints of  musical influence that arise from each band member, which include Led  Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, as well as bands such as Muse and Red Hot  Chili Peppers.

Brought together in October of 2009, it was the inherent and  collective love of performing live that melded the members Monks of  Mellonwah into what they are today. They’ve already had the  opportunity to perform at venues around the world which include the  world-famous Whiskey A Go Go and The Avalon Theatre in Los Angeles,  The Mercury Lounge in New York, as well as Sydney Australia’s The  Metro Theatre and The Factory Theatre.

With tours already under their belt in the U.S.A and Asia, the Monks  of Mellonwah continue to blossom. “During the last three years, we’ve  developed both as individual musicians – but more importantly –  collectively as a band also,” adds de la Hoyde. To date, “M.O.M” has  released three EPs, beginning in 2010 with Stars Are Out, a five-track  debut that featured the single “Swamp Groove” – which became the  group?s first popular single on Australian radio. In 2011, they  followed the classic-rock and retro sounds of Stars Are Out with an  edgy alt-rock single release entitled, “Kyoto.”

In 2012 it was the release of Neurogenesis, a five-track EP, which led  to multiple licensing agreements, and press exposure via the EP’s title track as well as the single, “Neverending Spirit.” In 2013, showing their diversity in style, the Monks of Mellonwah released a  three-track cinematic trilogy entitled Sky and the Dark Night. The  film-inspired project epitomizes what “M.O.M” is all about –  interweaving a matrix of multiple genres into one track with an eight minute run time.

In 2013 began release their first full-length album, Turn the People  in three-part volumes with the album in its entirety to be released in March, 2014. Volume 1: “Ghost Stories” was released in June 2013,  followed by Volume 2: “Afraid to Die” in October. The final Volume 3:  “Pulse” is scheduled for release, along with the full album, in March,  2014. Grammy-winner producer and sound engineer Keith Olson (Fleetwood  Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, Grateful Dead) produced five of the tracks on the  upcoming Turn the People album. In 2014, the band plans on touring  both Europe and the U.S.A. in support of the album.

The Monks of Mellonwah set out musically not to repeat past styles, yet rather to pave the future for alternative rock. In doing so, they  take the preeminent sounds of 70s psychedelic rock and 90s alternative  – and blend it into something fresh and new.

Band of Holy Joy Release When a Gift is a Curse

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Their new single on Radio Joy

When a Gift is a Curse

Release date: June 16th
Format: Digital Download

For 30 years original Rough Trade Alumini The Band Of Holy Joy have been a main part of the rich tapestry of alternative urban folk punk groups emanating from the UK. The band continues to write about the same outsider concerns with the same measure of spirit and care and man, they still put on a show.

Band of Holy Joy

n the back of great reviews for their latest album ‘Easy Listening’ and to coincide with the band’s appearance, where they headline the second stage at the NME C86 festival at London’s 229 Club on June 14th, Band Of Holy Joy are releasing a digital single ‘When A Gift Is A Curse’ through their own label Radio Joy on Monday 16th June 2014.

The song is a glam hymn to both good living and bad livers and pays tribute to the wayward genius that was George Best.

This is a first in a series of libationary singles spaced six weeks apart and dedicated totally to the joys and pains, the triumphs and tribulations, the art and indeed style attendant to the age old right now remember then forget about tomorrow, beautiful and ugly, sordid and sensual pastime of the older person’s habitual alcohol consumption.

“It’s become something of a tradition for Band Of Holy Joy to release my favourite album of any given year… When A Gift Is A Curse concerns the notion of destructive talent, with George Best taking a leading role…”
Louder Than War, rating 9/10

“..this band still revels in their own potency.”
The Daily Mirror, rating 4/5

“Band Of Holy Joy are an unsung British institution that understands the human heart.”
Mojo, rating 4/5

Jamaica Inn DVD Review

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Jamaica Inn was all over social media and also got widespread media coverage concerning the sound quality of the transmission when it aired. Rather unfortunately this distracted from the show when it was aired. I didn’t watch it but saw the reaction on social media. Now you can watch it without any problems, as it has been released on DVD.

Jamaica Inn catches the period very well, the costume and tone really add to the story. I didn’t even recognise Jessica Brown Findlay until I looked up Jamaica Inn on IMDB. She is very brave, wearing no makeup and shapeless clothes. She still looks beautiful, but it is rare for an actress so successful to lack vanity so much, and it bodes well for her future career: it truly shows a dedication to the role.

Jamaica Inn is well shot, drawing you into the story. It has a good script. It is paced well and is an enjoyable, dark, gothic drama. Worth a watch.

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Set in 1821 against the forbidding backdrop of windswept Cornish Moors, Daphne du Maurier’s
Jamaica Inn is a dark, gothic tale of desire, survival and morality which has been brought to life in a stunning new TV adaptation by Emma Frost (The White Queen, Consuming Passion). Initially broadcast in three hour-long episodes as a major feature of BBC One’s prime time Easter schedule, the entire series will be released on DVD by FremantleMedia International on 26th

This new adaptation of du Maurier’s iconic novel is directed by BAFTA-winning director Philippa Lowthorpe (Call The Midwife, Five Daughters) and stars Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey, Labyrinth) as Mary Yellan, Matthew McNulty (The Paradise, Room At The Top) as Jem Merlyn, Sean Harris (The Borgias, Southcliffe) as Joss Merlyn, Joanne Whalley (The Borgias, Gossip Girl) as Aunt Patience, Ben Daniels (The Wipers Times, House of Cards) as Francis Davey and Shirley Henderson (Southcliffe, The Crimson Petal And The White) as Hannah.

Certificate: 15

Single disc DVD

Run time: 180 minutes

RRP: £17.99

Bonus features: Behind the scenes/making of featurette

Each episode is also available for download via iTunes for £1.29 in standard definition and £2.49 in high definition. A series pass costs £4.99 in standard definition and £6.99 in high definition.

Angelina Jolie Knows Being a Superstar Makes Being A Mum Easier

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Angelina-Jolie-as-MaleficentIt is good to know that some people know how privileged they are and Angelina Jolie sure does. After being asked if she ever feels ‘mom guilt’ she replied.

 

“I’m not a single mom with two jobs trying to get by every day, I have much more support than most people, most women in this world. And I have the financial means to have a home and health care and food.

 

“My kids, they’re here upstairs,” [they were in the hotel she was being interviewed in, upstairs in her room]

 

“When I feel I’m doing too much, I do less, if I can. And that’s why I’m in a rare position where I don’t have to do job after job. I can take time when my family needs it,”

 

“I can say I can only get into the (editing) room after the kids are in school, and I have to be back for dinner, and they’re coming for lunch,”

 

“I actually feel that women in my position, when we have all at our disposal to help us, shouldn’t complain. Consider all the people who really struggle and don’t have the financial means, don’t have the support, and many people are single raising children. That’s hard.”

 

Mark Ruffalo ‘I Auditioned 800 Times Without Booking A Role’

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For tmarkruffalohose outside the acting industry it probably looks easy, but what isn’t easy is finding work. This is proven by Mark Ruffalo’s interview in Interview magazine. Here is a highlight:

 

“In 2000, playwright-cum filmmaker-Kenneth Lonergan’s quirky little sibling drama You Can Count on Me broke out of the festival circuit and went on to be nominated for two Academy Awards (for screenplay and for actress Laura Linney’s star turn). Its success was powered, in part, by the electric performance of a virtually unknown 32-year-old leading man. By the time he booked the part, Mark Ruffalo had already given up on acting at least once, in the mid-’90s, heading home to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to work for his commercial-painter father. But he came back, again and again—auditioning, he once said, 800 times without booking a single role.”

 

Wow. That is impressive perseverance. Ruffalo also had to deal with his brother being murdered and having a benign brain tumor removed.

 

Mark Ruffalo is an amazing actor and I am just happy he kept at it. Read the amazing interview, he is interviewed by Julia Roberts and on a shameless self-promotion note: If you are an actor then check out my book How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur. It is available in print and in all eBook formats on both Smashwords and Amazon.

 

 

Dexter Star Hits Out At Ending ‘I Didn’t Even Watch It’

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Spoiler Alert

It seems it wasn’t just the fans who hated the ending of Dexter. Michael C Hall has spoken out about the controversial ending, saying he didn’t even watch it because he didn’t like it.

The ending, where Dexter ends up in a log cabin after faking his own death and being responsible for the death of his sister, Debbie, and then leaves his son and girlfriend to live in a self-imposed exile was widely slammed and some even called it a ‘betrayal’.

dexterstarslamsending

Hall played the serial killer who only kills other serial killers for eight seasons. He told his feelings to The Daily Beast.

“Liked it? I don’t think I even watched it, I thought it was narratively satisfying – but it was not so savoury.” He said of the final episode.

“I think the show had lost a certain amount of torque, Just inherently because of how long we’d done it, because of the storytelling capital we’d spent, because our writers may have been gassed.Maybe some people wanted a more satisfying-maybe they wanted a happy ending for him, either a happy ending or a more definitive sense of closure. They wanted him to die or something, but I think the fact that he’s sort of exiled in a prison of his own making is, for my money, pretty fitting.”