Actor Angus Cloud, breakout star of the HBO series ‘Euphoria’, has passed away at the age of 25. According to TMZ, his mother called the Fire Department at around 11:30 am on Monday, reporting a “possible overdose” and said Angus did not have a pulse. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
According to a source close to the family, Cloud had been battling severe mental health issues since he came back from Ireland after burying his father.
According to the statement released by the family:
“It is with the heaviest heart that we had to say goodbye to an incredible human today. As an artist, a friend, a brother and a son, Angus was special to all of us in so many ways.”
“Last week he buried his father and intensely struggled with this loss. The only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend. Angus was open about his battle with mental health and we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are alone and should not fight this on their own in silence.”
Several of Euphoria stars like Javon Walton sent their condolences to the actor and his family.
Euphoria’s Javon Walton pays tribute to Angus Cloud:
Pop singer Ariana Grande has reportedly separated from her husband of two years, Dalton Gomez, according to TMZ. The two have been separated since January and are reportedly heading for a divorce.
A source told the tabloid that the two had been separated since the Grammy award winning singer had been filming the upcoming musical film ‘Wicked’ and it seems like the rumors are true because the singer was spotted without her ring at the Wimbledon final held on Sunday.
TMZ further revealed that the two had remained friends and talked a lot on the phone, but there is no chance of their relationship improving.
The ‘7 rings’ singer had gotten engaged to the real-estate agent in December 2020, getting married in 2021 in an intimate wedding ceremony where only their family and friends were present.
Events hosted by the Ambanis are among the most anticipated nights in Bollywood. Indian film royalty as well as international stars arrive dressed to the nines to provide a spectacular night filled with entertainment.
However, as much as we plebeians can gape at this show of money, there was a moment that did not sit well with twitter users. A viral clip showed a performance by Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan pulling Hollywood model Gigi Hadid on stage and spinning her around before kissing her cheek.
The performance was planned, as Hadid posted a clip on her Instagram stories, with the caption saying: “Thank you Varun Dhawan for making my Bollywood dream come true.”
But Dhawan drew backlash on social media because of his response to a twitter user and defending his behavior by trolling critics for being ‘woke’.
I guess today you woke up and decided to be woke. So lemme burst ur bubble and tell u it was planned for her to be on stage so find a new Twitter cause to vent about rather then going out and doing something about things . Good morning https://t.co/9O7Hg43y0S
Twitter users pointed out that this was not the first time Dhawan had crossed boundaries, as they shared old clips of him crossing boundaries with other Bollywood actresses.
So kissing her was also planned. in movies actors do kissing because of need of the character why you want to kiss offscreen any women being married. During jjj promotion you tried to throw Kiara in pool and she was very uncomfortable #VarunDhawanhttps://t.co/AD4c39zUmlpic.twitter.com/eQyWY9TXbQ
Since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis, individuals all over the world have come together to offer monetary and non-monetary relief to the war-torn country. Mila Kunis and her husband Ashton Kutcher were among the first fundraisers to help.
The American actress instantly created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees fleeing for their lives. They even kicked off the fund with a $3 million donation of their own, and donations only escalated from there.
The couple had exceeded their $30 million goal in less than 30 days and then increased it to $40 million. They have raised more than $35.3 million from nearly 73,400 donors as of March 29, 2022.
DST Global and Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle Corporation, are among the fund’s major contributors. DST contributed a total of $3.5 million to the cause, with Ellison donating the most money of all, $5 million.
Several anonymous donors, in addition to many others, gave significant contributions totaling more than $1 million.
GoFundMe created a hub for verified fundraisers trying to raise money for humanitarian help in Ukraine in the wake of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Presently, the hub organizes fundraisers ranging from supporting major humanitarian groups such as ‘Save the Children’ to raising donations for particular Ukrainian families.
To get verified on the donation hub, GoFundMe’s trust and safety team need to know the identity of the organizer along with how the funds will be used and who they are raising money for.
The Bollywood superstar, Amitabh Bachchan has finally paid 2.61 crore PKR in GST for the sale of his non-fungible token (NFT) collection, which was auctioned for 17.16 crore PKR in the first week of November 2021.
Some of the netizens may remember that Bachchan had received a warning from the Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI) to pay the imposed GST.
Despite Bachchan’s deposit, the DGGI is expected to continue its probe into tax avoidance.
An NFT venture stated in August 2021 that Bachchan’s NFT collection would be available on its platform. Bachchan had signed an agreement with ‘Rhiti Entertainment’ to convert some of his pictures or illustrations into digital assets.
Interestingly, this also made Bachchan one of the first Indian actors to support digital art and NFTs.
Apart from the photos and posters, a famous collection of poems written by Bachchan’s father and recorded in his own voice, ‘Madhushala’ was the most successful auction.
The NFT auction had garnered 17.16 crore PKR and attracted 18 percent GST. Big B was bound to pay taxes worth 12.61 crore PKR from the sale, which has been now deposited by the actor.
For those who do not know much about NFTs, it is a type of digital asset that represents real-world or sometimes abstract elements. This can be art, photography, meme, music, game characters or any graphic one can think of. This data unit is kept on a blockchain, a digital ledger that makes it non-transferable and unique.
Gigi Hadid has called out anti-Semitic supporters of Palestine, calling them “hypocrites” for spreading hate towards the Jews.
“Anti-Semitic people who are using the pro-Palestine movement as an excuse to be violent and/or hateful towards Jewish people should be ashamed of themselves,” wrote the supermodel on Instagram.
Hadid further added: “Their actions are hypocritical to the real Free Palestine. I’ve said this before and I want to make it clear again: By speaking out for equal rights of Palestinian people, I am never condoning violence or hate against the Jewish community.”
“It is unacceptable, especially in the name of another marginalised group,” said Gigi, adding: “Everyone the right to feel safe regardless of their religion, where they’re from,or the actions of their government.”
Sharing another post on her account from a Palestinian, Hadid said: “If you’re pro-Palestine with anti-Semitic intentions, I’m telling you to distance yourself away from the Palestinian cause as much as possible. We don’t want your support. We will not have your ignorance bastardize our fight for equal rights and justice. Which is all in the name of humanity.”
The supermodel further said: “Palestine is a human rights cause. If you’re using this to intimidate members of the Jewish community, who have done you no harm – then you’re defeating the purpose of our cause. And I ask you [to] stay away from us. Do not raise our flag. You are equally hurting us. Sincerely, a Palestinian.”
When Gigi earlier extended her support towards Palestine, she had clarified that she “condemns anti-Semitism” and is not trying to kill anyone.
Meanwhile, Gigi also rubbished fake news circulating on social media about Dior cutting ties with sister Bella Hadid for supporting the Palestinian cause.
Meanwhile, Hadid has also been accused of anti-Semitism after the supermodel voiced support for the people of Palestine amid Israeli violence.
Speaking to a local magazine, Zaidi shared that before her divorce, she requested her husband to leave their house as their children were growing up but he refused because the other woman had told him to end things with her first. Zaidi has two children – a daughter and a son.
“I don’t understand why women cry after divorce for a person who is leaving them,” said Zaidi. “Crying is for when your husband passes away and you are in shock. I always wished that my house would not break or my husband should not divorce me. And even if he has no relations with me, his relationship with the children should not be bad so that it does not affect them.”
She shared that after being in a relationship with the other woman for two years, her husband forcibly divorced her at the behest of his second wife.
“I told him to do whatever you want but do not break our family as our children are growing but the other lady made sure to end our family,” said Ismat.
The actor went on to say that when her husband divorced her, her in-laws stepped in to support her.
“After the divorce, my husband wanted me to leave the house but my in-laws were very supportive. They said no one will leave the house and no extra person will enter this house. She will live here because we brought her,” said Ismat, adding that she was married for 23 years.
“After my divorce, I have been really strong because my in-laws were really supportive and they even kept me in their house.”
She shared that because of their support, she started working in the television industry right after her divorce and has been working since.
Zaidi has been part of several super hit dramas including Mann Mayal, Beti, Meri Guriya, Deewangi, Meherposh and most recently Fitoor.
Ahsan Khan, who is a pro as far as hosting shows is concerned, is coming back to our TV screens with a new show called Time Out with Ahsan Khan.
Speaking exclusively to The Current, Ahsan shared that his new show is a “weekend celebrity show full of entertainment”.
“The kind of stuff we are doing, the way we have designed the show is very very different from the run of the mill stuff you see on television,” said Ahsan. “It’s nothing like what has been done before in Pakistan. It has a new feel, new set and a few fun games.”
“I think it will be very entertaining and enjoyable,” he added.
When asked how he has not yet gotten bored with hosting, considering he also hosted the hugely popular Bol Nights with Ahsan Khan recently, the actor said: “Bol Nights was 40 minutes long but did not cover the entire lives of my colleagues and celebrities. A lot of them are very interesting and I would like to have them on my show again.”
Giving a sneak peek into the show’s format, Ahsan went onto say that his upcoming show is different from his previous experiences.
“We have introduced a few new games on the show, so we will be playing a lot. This new show also has a very different kind of feel to it which you’ll see when you watch the episodes.”
“At the same time we are considering new people,” shared Ahsan. “We have so many celebrities. I mean if I interviewed around 125 people [for Bol Nights], we still have another 500 to go.”
“I think there is still so much left to explore,” stated Ahsan. “So many of my colleagues have new things and projects happening in their lives which I would love to talk to them about.”
Khan went onto say that he also plans to invite people from different walks of life on his show including sportspersons and other high achievers.
Time Out with Ahsan Khan is expected to start in January. According to Ahsan, it is a “new year gift” from him to everyone.
Meanwhile, Khan also has his hands full with various acting projects. He is currently shooting for his upcoming film Chakkar with Yasir Nawaz, Neelam Muneer and Javed Sheikh and his drama serial Qayamat also with Muneer is scheduled to go on-air in the coming weeks.
Gone are the days when fans would glue themselves to television screens just to get the slightest glimpse of their favorite celebrity’s personal life. God bless Instagram for ensuring that we all are a click away from stalking our favorite celebrities, giving birth to our own online identities, participating in influential social media movements, and being the Emilys in our own virtual Paris.
However, such accessibility comes with heavy responsibility which intensifies in the case of celebrities. From being an average application for posting pictures to becoming a social media giant, Instagram, and its management is now an art. So, let’s dive in and analyze how well our Pakistani celebrities have succeeded in influencing fans through their Instagram feeds. The analysis will take place through the Current ranking edition where you can find an exclusively ranked scorecard highlighting the top and the bottom three Instagram feeds of Pakistani celebrities.
The magic formula for Instagrammy perfection combines just the right proportion of posts featuring everyday adventures, western and eastern dressing styles, catchy captions, precise bios, a classy overall outlook, adequate interactivity with the followers through comments or live sessions, and lastly, a unique special strategy which sets your feed apart from all the others. The perfect score sums up to a total of 16 points with 2 points per category.
If you’re done taking notes, scroll down to see which three best and worst Instagram feeds have made it to the Scorecard. Remember, you are what your Insta feed is!
Disclaimer: Nothing Personal
Mahira Khan: 12 / 16
Although Mahira doesn’t post frequently about her everyday adventures and uses lengthy and boring letters involving her emotional experiences as captions, the girl checks all other boxes for a perfect Instagram account. Her work, individualism and nature-oriented posts give a nostalgic outlook to the feed. Popular instances of interactivity include 2018’s incident when Mahira ended up gifting her Eid outfit to a fan who expressed a desire to wear that dress in the comment section of Mahira’s Eid post. Mahira may reply to your comments as well, you never know! This feed neutralizes its western dimension which stems from a preference for western clothing by a traditional aspect added by her bio titled ‘Funkaar’.
Besides, who could not like the post featuring her incredibly hot gown for Cannes 2018? Everything aside, the point winner for Mahira’s Instagram feed is her special strategy which never lets the glory of her old characters die as fans are constantly reminded of her signature roles like Khirad (Humsafar) or Falak (Shehr-e-Zaat) via her posts. You go, girl!
Aiman Muneeb: 9.5 / 16
Acknowledging the fact that Aiman does not have a striking bio and she rarely replies to comments, her frequent highlights about travelling (Florence, Dubai, Lahore etc.), diet plans and lunch dates really capture the interest of the followers. Her feed maintains a traditional outlook with family-oriented posts about sister dates, her daughter, husband, and mother. Aiman doesn’t shy away from influencing fashion trends by posing in stunning trench coats and desi kurta shalwar. The most captivating part about this feed is its brief, catchy and impactful captions like, “Be your own muse”. All the aforementioned qualities help Aiman skillfully market her special strategy which revolves around the ‘keeping it real’ vibe of a young girl getting the best of both worlds. This strategy does a remarkable job in attracting all those Pakistani girls who dream of making it big, just like our Aiman did.
Ayeza Khan: 3.0 / 16
Jeez, that score’s pretty low but what could we do. The raw bio and majorly sponsored posts and highlights make this feed seem more like a wedding photo album than a celebrity’s feed. Don’t believe us? Try stalking this diva and all you’ll find are some breathtaking but clichéd and glossed up pictures of Ayeza in designer clothes. Her audience interactivity was pretty low until she dedicated a video post to her fans on October 3, 2020, just to let them know that she does read all their messages and comments but is unable to reply due to her busy schedule. This actor does get a decent score for her special strategy through which induced temporary curiosity among her fans. What was it?
On May 3, 2019, Ayeza made headlines by turning her Instagram private after reaching 3.1 million followers. In her own words she “wanted fans not followers” …for a short while though. This move did get her Instagram account under the spotlight. Master stroke, indeed.
And here comes the #ouch part. Below are the ranks and scores of three of Pakistan’s least followed celeb accounts on Instagram according to The Current Scorecard. The grading criteria remains the same, however, there’s a twist. Here, we have graded every category out of -2 with 0 being the highest (which means no damage done) and -2 being the lowest. The maximum score obtainable is -16. By the way, to compensate for the brutal critical analysis, The Current has given #free suggestions to help improve the feeds. So scroll down to discover who has done the most irrecoverable damage (it’s predictable though).
Meera Jee: -15.5 / -16
This feed seems outdated as videos that could have sufficed well as highlights can be seen featuring everyone but herself. Where to begin! Absolute lack of audience interactivity, lack of defined styling preferences in the very few solos posted, and a bio that seems more like a nice and concise resume are just a few of the Instagram blunders we have identified. The whole concept of public engagement seems to have been turned upside down. You’ll see plenty of posts featuring people without adequate description. For instance, did you see the post regarding a gentleman who “is a very creative man in the world of educational”?
Also, dedicating a video post to Zulfi Bukhari without having him or herself in either of them is nothing but awkward. The Current’s Instagram feed takes inspiration from this people-oriented feed to improve as news media because you shall find random posts regarding celebrities’ birthdays, deaths, marriage anniversaries, award nominations, COVID-19 test results, and makeup reviews. Moreover, we all know the major issue with captions. In the broader picture, let us ponder over the unreasonable motivation to be who we aren’t meant to be.
Free suggestion for improvement: Be Yourself
Embracing yourself and being comfortable in your skin can make you a stronger personality to be marketed on Instagram. Instead of promoting others in a language that is not exactly your expertise, why not try writing captions in Roman Urdu or Urdu? Also, we recommend using your amazing solos from your highlights as posts. After all, your fans want to see the iconic celebrity in you!
Sanam Jung: -9.5/16
Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the Jaago Pakistan Jaago feed. Although Sanam’s Instagram feed seems to have a balanced mix of work-oriented posts with a tinge of everyday adventures, it lacks maintenance. You’ll see plenty of grid photos highlighting workout routines, travelling experiences, notable literature preferences and many more, but the absence of relevant captions seem to confuse the followers between sponsored and non-sponsored content. Almost all posts uniformly follow Eastern styling trends only. Additionally, choosing a list-like format for a lengthy bio is never a good option as self-descriptions should be different from grocery lists, don’t you think? Despite zero audience interactivity, this feed might capture the attention of female fans of morning shows with its content about family adventures; however, it fails to properly grip the admiration of other genders. We expect more from you, Sanam!
Free suggestion for improvement: Get Out of the Box
Instagram can be your best resort to help separate the real you from the “the stereotyped Pakistani beti/bahu” identity of yours, thanks to the morning show fandom. We suggest you to start promoting individualism in your feed because we are sure that there’s another amazing side of the ever-empowered Sanam, which the world is yet to see.
Mira Sethi: -2.0/-16
This feed has a soothing outlook as is laden with life-oriented posts appreciating humanity, family, poetry, music, art and culture. Seeing Mira play sports or hug her pets in vividly colored sarees and some classic tank gives us an exotic feel. With brief and multi-lingual captions and a perfect bio, this lady does a considerably good job of interacting with the audience as she asks them for their reviews on her drama episodes (Yeh Dil Mera) and more. However, all these plus-points dim in comparison with a major flaw related to mass appeal. This feed does an outstanding job in luring elite Urdu/English literature enthusiasts and Pakistanis settled abroad. Unfortunately, that makes up the narrowest segment of the Pakistani population. While posts about Californian parks or #BlackLivesMatter are immensely appreciated, sadly, they will fail to interest a regular Pakistani, who can barely relate with them.
Free suggestion for improvement: Go more desi
Your Instagram displays the progressive mentality that we all hope to see among the Pakistani population one day. However, today isn’t that day and the best you can do is make your target audience inclusive of all Pakistani population segments because we all deserve to discover the charismatic international face of our country.
Shahid Afridi and his wife Nadia are celebrating 20 years of marital bliss.
Posting pictures from the celebrations, Afridi, affectionately known as Lala shared that he forgot their anniversary but his wife still forgave him.
“Today marks 20 years of marital bliss. Alhamdulillah blessed to have a life partner so caring, understanding, and a wonderful mother to our children,” wrote Afridi. “Despite me forgetting our anniversary today she still forgave me; another one of her beautiful qualities.”
Pictures from their anniversary celebrations viral on social media.
Meanwhile, Nadia pulled her husband’s leg for forgetting their anniversary and wrote: “With the passage of time one has to remind you of things”.
She then went on to wish Lala, saying that she feels blessed to have found “a good husband, a best friend and a confidante” in him.
With the passage of time one has to remind you of things Alhamdulillah I’m blessed to have a good husband, a best friend and a confidante in you; somebody who’s a wonderful human being as a whole. Happy Anniversary! Here’s to many more, InshaAllah❤️ https://t.co/1aGvSdSa6G
