Spanish La Liga: Ancelotti confident of success in 2014

MOVING UP: Carlo Ancelotti insists Real Madrid are still in the La Liga title race as they moved to within five points of leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. PHOTO: AFP

MADRID: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti insisted his side are still very much in the La Liga title race as they moved back to within five points of leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid with a 3-2 win away to Valencia on Sunday.

Valencia put up a strong fight as they levelled twice through Pablo Piatti and Jeremy Mathieu to cancel out efforts from Angel di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, Jese Rodriguez struck the all-important winner 10 minutes from time to keep Madrid within sight of the leaders.

“I am satisfied with how the first-half of the season has gone and I am very excited for 2014,” said Ancelotti. “The team has character, quality and fights until the end.

“At the moment the table speaks for itself. Barca and Atletico are doing very well and have a five-point lead, but I am very excited for the second part of the season. It could be a very good year for Real Madrid.”

Pedro happy to help team finish top

Barcelona forward Pedro Rodriguez was happy with his performance, one which ensured that the team finished 2013 on top of the league. His eight-minute hat-trick helped them come from 2-0 down to win 5-2 at Getafe on Sunday.

The hosts had got off to a flying start as goals from Sergio Escudero and Lisandro Lopez put them 2-0 up inside 14 minutes.

However, the Catalans responded like champions as Pedro scored three times in quick succession before the break.

Cesc Fabregas gave Barca breathing space when he volleyed home Pedro’s cross 22 minutes from time and then doubled his tally from the penalty spot moments later.

“I am just happy for the victory,” said Pedro, who overtook Lionel Messi and Alexis Sanchez to become Barca’s top scorer in La Liga with 10. “We didn’t start how we would have hoped, but we turned the game around which is the most important thing.”

Smith backs decision to apply breaks on epic pursuit

ODD DECISION: Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn opted to bat out for the draw with India instead of chasing a world record. PHOTO: AFP

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa skipper Graeme Smith defended the controversial decision to abandon his team’s epic pursuit of a world record score and settle for a tense first Test draw against India.

South Africa needed just 16 runs off the final three overs with three wickets remaining as they chased down 458 to win the opening match at the Wanderers.

But when top-scorer Faf du Plessis was run out off the fifth ball of the 133rd over, having hit a majestic 134, the batsmen in the middle – Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn – opted to bat out for the draw.

The next two overs were maidens and even though eight came off the last over, including a six by Steyn off the final ball, it was too little, too late.

“Ultimately the guys out in the middle made the decision that they thought was in the best interests of the team,” said Smith of a decision greeted by boos from the home crowd.

Smith said it was the best option with only the injured Morne Morkel and number 11 Imran Tahir left to bat.

“With Morne struggling to stand and with no ability to run between the wickets and with Imran you’re not too sure what you are going to get. “

“We as a team have to support the decision that Dale and Vernon made in the middle,” said Smith after his side reached 450 for seven at the close.

“With two overs to go, and one Test match to go with an opportunity to win the series in Durban, we have to be 100% committed to the decision.”

The world record for a successful run chase remains the 418 for seven by West Indies against Australia in St John’s in 2002-03.

Philander reaches top of Test rankings

After the result of the first Test against India, Philander reached the top of ICC Test rankings.

He entered the match trailing team-mate Dale Steyn by four ratings points. While Philander recorded figures of four for 61 and three for 68, Steyn managed just one wicket. The contrasting performances resulted in the pace bowler gaining 13 ratings points and Steyn conceding the same number of points.

This means Philander now leads Steyn by 22 ratings points and the 28-year-old will now go into the Durban Test, which starts on Thursday, as the number one ranked bowler in the world for the first time in his career.

English Premier League: Rooney on verge of legendary status, says Moyes

MERCURIAL: Striker Wayne Rooney has scored 207 goals for Manchester United so far, and is one of the only 25 players to have made 400 appearances for the club. PHOTO: AFP

MANCHESTER: Manchester United manager David Moyes has suffered a stuttering start to life at Old Trafford, but it could have been far worse for the Scot if he had failed to retain the services of striker Wayne Rooney.

The England forward was again the central figure as United brushed aside West Ham United 3-1 at home on Saturday, dropping deep to act as the fulcrum for the side and bursting forward to provide two assists.

“Do you know what I see more than anything in Wayne?” said Moyes. “I see leadership.

“I see somebody who wants to take responsibility for the team. I see somebody who cares for how he plays and how the team plays.

“He is getting to an age now where he realises he is not a boy any more. He is one of the senior men in the team. He is actually on the verge of being one of the great legends at this club.”

Moyes believed Rooney had matured into a leader on the field who was able to inspire and demand more from the younger players in the squad as they bid to climb up from their unusual eighth position in the table.

Free-scoring City must be more boring: Milner

The entertaining, goal-scoring feats of title-chasing Manchester City has wowed fans and impressed rivals this season, but midfielder James Milner craves a less cavalier approach.

Even without injured top scorer Sergio Aguero, City delivered a glut of goals in a 4-2 away win over Fulham on Saturday. They have scored a league-best 51 goals from 17 league matches, 35 coming at home, and are on course to better the record of 103 scored by Chelsea en route to winning the title in the 2009-10 season.

However, midfielder Milner says he could do without the roller coaster ride.

“We’d like to have games that are a bit more boring if we can, maybe a 1-0 or 2-0,” he said. “When you are 2-0 up, you like to see out the job and we did that in the end. Hopefully we can get a few more clean sheets, which will be more important as the season goes on.”

Sherwood eager to pursue Spurs adventure

Tottenham Hotspur’s interim head coach Tim Sherwood hopes to be given the job on a permanent basis after a 3-2 victory at Southampton in his first Premier League game.

Sunday’s success at St Mary’s got Spurs back on track after they were thrashed 5-0 at home by Liverpool in Andre Villas-Boas’s last game and Sherwood now wants to discuss his future with chairman Daniel Levy.

“What would be ideal for me would be to have a chat with the chairman and see what’s best for the football club moving forward,” he said.

“There are some great candidates out there for this job. It’s a massive club with history and tradition. But whatever happens needs to be right for me, too.”

Pakistani film 'Zinda Bhaag' out of Oscar race

Zinda Bhaag was the first Pakistani nomination for the Oscars in five-decades. PHOTO: FILE

LOS ANGELES: ‘Zinda Bhaag’, the first Pakistani movie to be nominated for an Oscar, was left out of the best foreign language Oscar short list, but nine other movies made the cut, organisers announced on Friday.

Works by Palestinian, Danish and Hong Kong filmmakers were shortlisted for the best foreign language Oscar.

Along with Pakistan’s first entry in five decades, Saudi Arabia’s first ever candidate and an Oscar-winning Iranian director also failed to make the cut.

Films by Belgian, Bosnian, Cambodian, German, Hungarian and Italian directors are also on the shortlist.

The films were whittled down from a long list of 76 movies announced in October by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes Hollywood’s biggest annual awards fest.

They will be reduced to five nominees next month, before nominations in all Oscar categories are announced on January 16. The 86th Academy Awards will be held on March 2.

The nine shortlisted foreign language films are:

- “The Broken Circle Breakdown,” Belgium, director Felix van Groeningen.

- “An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker,” Bosnia and Herzegovina, director Danis Tanovic.

- “The Missing Picture,” Cambodia, director Rithy Panh.

- “The Hunt,” Denmark, director Thomas Vinterberg.

-  “Two Lives,” Germany, director Georg Maas.

-  “The Grandmaster,” Hong Kong, director Wong Kar-wai.

-  “The Notebook,” Hungary, director Janos Szasz.

-  “The Great Beauty,” Italy, director Paolo Sorrentino.

- “Omar,” Palestine, director Hany Abu-Assad.

For Pakistan, “Zinda Bhaag” (“Flee Alive”) was the first Oscar entry for over 50 years. It is a comedy-thriller about three young men trying to escape the drudgery of their everyday lives through unconventional means.

The Saudi long-list candidate, “Wadjda” by Haifaa al-Mansour, is an avowedly feminist movie about a young girl’s quest to own a bicycle in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom where women are deprived of many rights, among them driving.

Directed by Saudi Arabia’s first female filmmaker and shot entirely in the Gulf state, the film won best Arabic feature award at the Dubai Film Festival last year and picked up an award in Cannes in March.

Did you know?: Gomez cancels Australian tour

Pop singer Selena Gomez has cancelled her upcoming Australian concert tour, saying she needs to take some time off, and put herself before work.

The 21-year-old former Disney star was scheduled to perform five concerts in Australia, beginning on February 1, 2014, in Perth and concluding on February 8 in Melbourne.

“My fans are so important to me and I would never want to disappoint them,” the singer said in a statement, “but it has become clear to me and those close to me that after many years of putting my work first, I need to spend some time on myself in order to be the best person I can be.”

A source close to Gomez told People magazine that everything is fine with her and all she needs is a little time to spend with her family. “She’s been on the road for six months and she’s just ready to be normal at home with her family,” the source says. “She’s been working nonstop since she was 15 and wants to take a minute to herself.”

We hope she feels refreshed and gets back to doing what she does best soon

Did you know? Imran Qureshi designs map for London underground’s anniversary

Qureshi used techniques of traditional Mughal miniature painting to present an elaborate floral design for each line on the network.

Pakistani artist Imran Qureshi has designed the cover of the London Underground’s 150th Anniversary Pocket Tube map. The map is the final art commission of the tube’s anniversary celebration, and has been released just in time for Christmas, according toArtLyst. 12 million copies of the map have been distributed throughout the London tube network, making it one of the most widely spread art commissions in the world.

For his cover artwork, entitled All Time Would be Perpetual Spring, Qureshi used techniques of traditional Mughal miniature painting to present an elaborate floral design for each line on the network, inspired by their distinct colours.

Speaking about the commission, Imran Qureshi said: “I was inspired by a life, an activity, and an amazing energy going on hundreds of feet down below the ground. Each colour represents life – colourful flora which are growing and creating a completely new atmosphere and a positive energy.” Imran Qureshi lives in Lahore, Pakistan, where he teaches at the National College of Arts.

Head of Art on the Underground Tamsin Dillon said: “Qureshi has made a fantastic work for the new pocket Tube map; I love the way it references the actual London Underground map with its vibrant colours inspired by the various Tube lines.

Coke Studio episode 3 and 4: The disappointments and surprises

Atif Aslam failed to deliver, which is surprising as he always outdoes himself on the show. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY

KARACHI: 

Yahi hamari Laila hai, yahi hamari Sohni hai, yahi hamari Sassi hai Heer bhi apni yahi zameen. These are a few lines from Vital Signs’ Yehi Zameen; one of the most patriotic songs of all time. This not only reflects the sense of ownership of their land that, under the patronage of Shoaib Mansoor, Vital Signs stood for, but also foreshadows the genesis of the ideological foundation of Coke Studio  — the idea of celebrating your own folklore, and keeping it alive and relevant.

This becomes especially important when people have become global citizens and national identity is still suffering from the quintessential cultural confusion of a more geographic outlook on history.

Episodes three, and specifically four, of season 6 made a conscious effort to celebrate our true roots, which couldn’t have been done in a more fitting manner than revitalising Bengali and Balochi folk; two regions that have been missing from our mainstream narrative.  Where episode four was star-studded, with something soulful from each song, Atif Aslam was an experiment gone wrong in episode 3, with the dynamisn of both Sanam Marvi and Zara Madani being the only saving grace.

Laila o Laila — Rostam Mir Lashari

First recorded by the legendary Faiz Mohammad Baloch, Laila o Laila is by far the most celebrated Balochi folk song in the world. Whether it’s the Balochs of Lyari or of Pungur, of Iran or of India, they all get their shoulders shaking to the moves of Chap (Balochi Dance) when this number comes on. The Coke Studio version, however, is a song soaked in dense production. At times, this nearly overpowers the folk roots that should be the centre of the song. The Baloch landscape is often depicted as a dusty plain of arid lands, but its music is rich and cheerful. Though full of crisp musical interplay thanks to some flavourful accordion and Norway’s Hardanger Fiddle (A variation violin that sounds like Sarangi), the track itself lacks the integral swing of the music that comes from that region. Though the performance may have had some success in capturing the bittersweet emotion of the original, it does not have the dynamics of a song that is sung and danced to in the streets of the region. The rhythm is too static and the form too dull. Having said that, Coke Studio’s rendition of Laila o Laila is still a sparkling souvenir of a vibrant musical mélange.

Aamay Bhashaili Rey by Alamgir and Fariha Pervez

The timelessness of Alamgir’s voice that will completely take over you in this rather soul soothing combination of the Bengali folk song Aamay Bhashaili Rey, and Fariha Pervez’s take on Saiyya Bina Ghar Jana. His alaaps are long, yet effortless, so much so that the highly skilled Fariha Pervez doesn’t even come close to the vocal prowess of Alamgir, who hits all the right notes with utmost perfection. Don’t let the wrinkles on Alamgir’s face fool you; his voice is as vibrant today, as it was in the days when he used to dance to Albela rahi, with a teenage Aamir Zaki backing him on bass guitars.

Zoe Viccaji, Zara Madani and Sanam Marvi

Three singers with very different approaches to music have upped their game in Coke Studiowith their recent efforts. Where Marvi was always a maverick, her divine rendition of Yaar Vekho is possibly the best Coke Studio has ever delivered, in terms of vocal prowess. Madani was no less than a sweet nightingale in Raat Gaye. With her unique tonal quality supported by the electronic atmosphere created by Hyatt’s musicians, she made us almost forget the Ayesha Omar fiasco. Viccaji might have been noticed for the jazzy Raat Gaye in Episode 3, but it is really her version of  Üsküdar’a Gider İken, called Ishq Kinara, which she’ll be remembered for this seaon. For the first time, we have seen her pick a song that is challenging for her pitch and scales, and deliver it with both finesse and very few errors of Urdu pronounciation.

Asad Abbas and Atif Aslam

Aslam is an artist who always delivers, especially in the case of Coke Studio. This time around however, the experimentation with his song Channah doesn’t quite work out, partly due to a combination of the unusual scale he chose for himself, along with an orchestral arrangement that didn’t suit his raw vocals. Abbas, on the other hand, is a genuine discovery for Coke Studio, and with his powerful yet soothing take on the Sufi folk poem Mahi Gal, he may just be a gold mine of talent not only for Pakistan, but also across the border.