Justin Bieber defended by bodyguard

Justin Bieber's former bodyguard insists the singer isn't racist.
Old video footage emerged at the weekend of the 'Believe' singer telling a joke and repeatedly using the word n****r but his ex-employee Kenny Hamilton insists the 20-year-old star is not prejudiced.
He tweeted: 'We all make jokes about people's size, look, or race. That doesn't mean it's right but comedians make millions of dollars profiting off of these jokes.

'If someone is racist or prejudice you would know from a persons actions. Not because of a joke a 15 year old says.
'What I do know whole heartedly is @justinbieber is not prejudice nor is he racist. He wasn't raised that way and his family isn't either. (sic)'

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Kenny believes Justin - who has since apologised for his remarks - would want to 'take back' the comments if he could and insisted the star is not the same person now as he was when the footage was shot.
He added: 'Yes he said some bad jokes and I know if he could he would take back what was said. He's grown a lot in 5 years and as we all grow we learn.
'As a black man I am telling the world that @justinbieber is not a racist. I have known him since he was 12 years old and I know his heart.(sic)'

Following the publication of the footage, the 'Confident' singer admitted he made a 'childish and inexcusable mistake' and insisted he has 'grown up' since making the remarks five years ago.
He said: 'As a young man, I didn't understand the power of certain words and how they can hurt. I thought it was ok to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but didn't realise at the time that it wasn't funny and that in fact my actions were continuing the ignorance.
'Thanks to friends and family I learned from my mistakes and grew up and apologised for those wrongs. Now that these mistakes from the past have become public I need to apologise again to all those I have offended. I'm very sorry.'

Ashton Kutcher rescues stranded fans

A file photo of Ashton Kutcher during a red carpet event. PHOTO: FILE

LOS ANGELES: Actor Ashton Kutcher came to the aid of a group of hikers and jumpstarted their car after its battery died in the Hollywood Hills here.

The driver told gossip website TMZ.com that the car’s battery died while they were hiking, so they pushed it to a nearby street and began flagging down other cars in a bid to get someone to help them jumpstart their vehicle.

The group was stunned when the 36-year-old actor spotted them and pulled over, offering to help, reports contactmusic.com.

Kutcher told them that he had to drop his passenger, believed to have been “Black Swan” star and his fiancee Mila Kunis at home first, but quickly returned to the scene to assist them.

The source said that the heartthrob initially struggled to find his own battery, because it was located in the back of his Lexus, but eventually helped them get back on the road.

A member of the group captured a video of the road-side rescue, during which Kutcher can be heard laughing and saying, “I’ve never f****ing not been able to find a battery in a car.

One Direction to star in comedy TV series

A file photo of One Direction band members. PHOTO: AFP

LOS ANGELES: Members of British-Irish band One Direction are reportedly in talks to head back to the small screen to star in their own comedy TV show.

The “What Makes You Beautiful” hitmakers started as a band on talent show “The X Factor”, and now they are eyeing a return to television, reports contactmusic.com.

“A new TV show is being discussed. At this stage, the pilot sees them living in Los Angeles by the beach. Comedy writers will be working on it, so that it really gives all the boys a chance to shine, and be a great advert for their new music,” said a source.

“The show will be peppered with guest cameos, too. The plan is for the boys to see a pilot in the spring. No series has been commissioned yet, and it is all very hush-hush,” the source added.

The band is currently in the middle of the European leg of its stadium tour.

Did you know?: Tiger Shroff is the first debutant to join the 50 crore club

Tigor Shroff has become the first debutant actor to achieve the Rs 50-crore-mark with a solo hero launch film, Heropanti. Earlier the list of successful batch of debuts included Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra and Arjun Kapoor.

“It’s a good time for newcomers in the industry. The audience wants fresh faces. Our acceptance is a sign of that,” said Tiger. The actor further confessed that he wasn’t very confident during the time of the film launch. “I was stressed all the time about how people would receive me. Moreover, being my father’s son added to the pressure. Ultimately, it was my sportsman mentality that kept me going. I knew that I had to prove myself and show that I am very different from my father. Guess that worked after all,” he added, reported theDeccan Chronicle.

Talking about his contemporaries he said, “They deserve the adulation, because they are all so talented. It is so inspiring to just see them perform so well. Look at Ranveer, Varun, Arjun, Sid; these guys are fantastic. They have their own plus points and I hope after Heropanti, the audience knows that I too have something new to show. I will always strive to be accepted by them and the industry,” concluded the actor.

Kiefer Sutherland nervous to act in 24 again

The character changed Sutherland’s life in many ways, but as an actor, it’s something that he grabbed in a very serious way. PHOTO: FILE

LOS ANGELES: 

Actor Kiefer Sutherland is back as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer in the popular US TV series 24. He says despite playing the role for eight seasons, he was nervous about stepping back into the character’s shoes.

“I was nervous… Yeah, I mean there was something about accomplishing the eight seasons and… it’s a complicated answer, there is never a single season that Howard Gordon (who has conceptualised and co-produced 24) and I ever felt was perfect, which was what made us really interested in coming back with something we felt we got better and better at,” he said.

“But there was a sense of accomplishment when we completed the eight episodes. And we felt that they were all very solid.”

Sutherland also said the character changed his life in many ways, but as an actor, it’s something that he grabbed in a very serious way.

“So there’s always the hope of, well yeah, okay, let’s do it. But no, having said yes and I said yes almost immediately. I said do you really feel strongly about this idea? And he said, ‘I do, I think it can be unbelievably exciting and doing the 12 episodes will give me latitude as a storyteller that I’ve never had before with the 24 episodes’. So I said yes quite quickly,” he said in a statement.

Sutherland says the show will remain topical. “I don’t know if it’s going to be as uniquely or even freakishly current as it would be given the nine months’ span of when someone writes something to that. And that’s not something we’re really trying to chase I just can’t help but notice that for four or five years it was doing that.

“But it absolutely will be topical. We’re dealing with issues; everything from US drones to torture procedures, to people’s culpability within the context of working for the government and how they behave and what they do,” he said. 

Movie review: Jinn - fear factor

With its weak script and lazy execution, Jinn evokes the wrong kind of horror.

People in Pakistan had many reasons to be excited about Jinn. For one, the Hollywood flick has two Pakistani-Americans in dominant roles: actor Faran Tahir, who has some A-list Hollywood movies and television dramas such as Iron Man, Star Trek, Escape Plan and Grey’s Anatomy to his credit, and writer-director Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad. To top the hype, the trailers also promised the viewers a sleek and stylish cinematic experience. But none of that lasts once the opening credits start rolling.

As the title suggests, the film is based on jinns, the supernatural beings whose existence has been dealt with repeatedly in local dramas and books but is a relatively unexplored subject in Hollywood.

The film revolves around a Michigan-based couple, Shawn (Dominic Rains) who is an automotive designer, and his wife Jasmine (Serinda Swan). Life is good until Shawn receives a mysterious message, warning him of a curse that has afflicted his family for generations. Having lost his parents as a child, Shawn has no prior knowledge of this and dismisses it as a hoax until strange things begin to happen.

Thereon, Shawn seeks help from the priest, Father Westhoff (William Atherton), the supernatural Gabriel (Ray Park) and Shawn’s estranged uncle Ali (Faran Tahir), who is also a psychological patient, in order to beat the jinns at their own sinister game.

Ultimately, however, Shawn must rely on the speed of his latest creation, the ‘Firebreather’ (a car specifically designed by the director for the film), and his own ‘inner prowess’ to protect his family and save the world.

There are some genuinely creepy moments, but those are ruined by romance, and the romance is, in turn, ruined by the cheesiness of some of the characters and dialogues. The film would have been better served if it was dealing with just one genre and doing it well, instead of fumbling through all.

The production value is very high — complete with sleek camera shots, expensive special effects, ample fighting and driving stunts. But this, and the movie’s novel premise, cannot make up for a lacklustre script and lazy storytelling. One time, for example, a sacred knife works but other times it doesn’t; the jinn exhibits fantastic powers in some scenes but he seems to forget about them in the others.

The character development is also poor and the actors fail to engage the viewer. Dominic Rains, as the protagonist of the movie, is rather stiff and well-known actors such as Faran Tahir and William Atherton do not shine much in their unexpectedly small roles either. Ray Park, playing a good supernatural force, is also wasted with a very brief martial arts performance and a slow-motion fight scene.

The final credits hint at a Jinn sequel, but given how this installment failed to develop a strong supernatural belief into a compelling narrative, the film does not merit a follow-up.

The ‘weigh’ to a healthy lifestyle By

Jack Silvanus has been working as a trainer in Lahore for six years and he feels that the level of awareness regarding personal health has increased a great deal. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

LAHORE: 

These days, social events in the city can’t do without at least one mention of a new diet regime or workout plan that people are trending towards. ‘I am on the General Motors (GM) Diet’, ‘I do not eat anything after 7:00pm’ and ‘I am doing a banana cleanse’ are some of the statements you will hear in almost every gathering you go to.

In an age when your personal trainer is your best friend, The Express Tribune sits with Jack Silvanus of Sukh Chan to discuss workout trends in the city and what has motivated people to jump on the fitness bandwagon.

Silvanus, who has been working as a trainer in the city for six years, feels that the level of awareness regarding personal health has increased a great deal. “There is a restaurant in every corner [in Lahore] and people in the city particularly enjoy eating rich food, but now they have realised the worth of investing in their bodies,” he says. His claim to fame is not only his personal training skills but also his classes titled ‘Hour of Power’ and ‘Fitness 4 by 4’, which take place at the Sukh Chan Wellness Club.

According to him, there are two main periods during which the number of clients increases tenfold. The first is right before summer holidays because people want to get into shape before leaving for a vacation and the second is the wedding season.

As the wedding season looms, many people hit the gym as part of their attempt to spruce up for the events. “The biggest problem I face with people [in Lahore] is that when a particular event is coming up, be it a wedding or holiday, people become dedicated to their workout regimes and diet plans, but as soon as the wedding or holiday is over, they stop,” says Jack. “This lack of consistency poses a huge problem because your body reacts differently and as your metabolism slows down you tend to gain weight faster.”

Silvanus suggests that one should have breakfast like a king and dinner like a pauper. “If you are an early riser, then have banana or green tea and start your day with a workout. Then, eat a hearty breakfast,” he recommends. “If you are trying to lose weight, opt for a sandwich with greens and avoid carbohydrates for dinner,” he adds.

For middle-aged people, Silvanus recommends cardio exercises to get the heart active. “Even if you are just going for a walk in the park or a light jog, add some yoga stretches in your routine to get the added cardiovascular movement.”

Silvanus shares that the fashion industry in Pakistan has played a major role in urging people to work out and get into shape. “80 per cent of my clients are women and fashion has played an integral role in getting them to exercise,” he says. “With designer wear readily available now, women want to look good in the clothes they wear and keep up with the trends of the fashion industry.”

These days, another fad that has surfaced is the emergence of concentrated workout regimes such as the ‘30 Day Challenge’ and ‘Lose 20 in 20’. The internet is brimming with these regimes and certain gyms have also, started offering these short-term commando courses to get people in shape. “Since these regimes are concentrated, people are more inclined towards enrolling in and following them, which leads to great results,” explains Jack.

Although he is a proponent of such health regimens, he highlights a downside to them: “After the specified time is over, people do not carry on. The workout does not become a part of their routine. Working out has to be a part of your life and not just a short course.”

For newbies, Silvanus suggests personal training for the sole purpose of understanding what your body requires from the workout and how to exercise wisely.